Free
by inu382
Summary: Clockwork decides his time to pass has come and informs Danny that he will be the new master of time. However, Danny needs a tutor, and Clockwork is convinced "Dan Phantom" will do...among other things. DanDanny DannyDan Most certainly NOT Pitch/Pearl
1. Free

Literally, I only have my "Hey Arnold!" story to work on and seeing as how I did that on a whim, I'm not super worried. I also have the _Bromance is for Pussies _sequel, but I still need to plan that out. Either way, I had to write a Danny Phantom story for three reasons:

1. I hate Pitch/Pearl. What the fuck? It's the same guy. You can't say his ghost half isn't Danny. Other than TUE, there has been no indication of Danny's ghost half being anything more than the ghost side of Danny. And, in TUE, the ghost half of Danny was apparently the half that harbored all of Danny's regrets and frustrations. If anything, it's a Danny that has died but has not passed—_like a freaking ghost_. I'm being way too critical about this, honestly. I just hate seeing so much Pitch/Pearl. And, yeah, in a sense, "Evil Danny" is the same person as Danny, but he's also part Vlad, thus making "Evil Danny" his own person, which makes more sense than being the world's biggest narcissist and dating your emo self.

2. Most of the "Evil Danny" stories are either stories where he inexplicably becomes good and attracted to his younger self, stories where he comes back for revenge and Danny has to fight him, or actually good stories (of which I've successfully found three or four). There are probably more out there that are really good, but among all the clutter, who can find them? I'm trying to keep away from this and offer a logical explanation for Dan's sudden attraction to Danny, but it's hard when all the good ideas are already taken. :P

3. Some stories have genuinely great ideas, but _the fucking grammar and spelling_. I can only take reading something that has terrible grammar and spelling for so long. That's probably the downfall of most good stories. Sometimes, the author's first language isn't English (the language I prefer to read) and they try to write in English—this is perfectly acceptable and good on you for writing in a language that isn't your first. English is hard as fuck. These I forgive. Others, however, are people who apparently just don't give a fuck. Literally, if your summary has no capital letters, I don't even bother. If you use the wrong "your" or "you're," it irks me terribly. Everyone is allowed to make mistakes and there will often be mistakes we overlook—even mistakes our betas overlook. But Jesus fuck, at least _try_.

And now that my ranting is over, let's get to this story thing.

* * *

><p>1,096. Dan Phantom scowled. He had officially run out of room—1,096 days had passed and he was still in the fucking Fenton Thermos.<p>

That meant he had been trapped for _three fucking years_.

After the first few days, Dan had honestly expected Clockwork to erase Dan completely from the timeline. But, time marched on as the sociopathic sadist sat in the thermos, waiting. And, eventually, Dan decided to mark the walls of his small prison to see how long before his demise.

But, seriously; _three years_? That was fucking pushing it. He didn't even know how he had any concept of day or night in the thermos, but he had a sneaking suspicion that was Clockwork's doing.

After the first year, Dan had given up on denting the thermos. The dents made it more difficult to make his tallies. After the second year, Dan noticed his fiery mane had been growing quite a bit and began yelling for scissors. He stopped yelling after a month.

But now it marked the third anniversary of his imprisonment and Dan was _pissed_. What the fuck was he supposed to do in a fucking thermos? What the fuck could he do now? He couldn't even keep track of how much longer he was going to be in there.

"What a _grand_ anniversary," the twenty eight year old muttered.

Suddenly, Dan gripped the walls as the entire thermos moved—was someone picking it up?—and squinted his eyes when light seeped in from where the top was. Someone was opening the thermos. The sadist grinned in maniacal glee.

Dan was going to be freed.

* * *

><p>Dating Sam had been a dream come true—until about a week ago. Danny sighed, watching Sam stroll into school with her new boyfriend—freaking goth asshole. But, Danny supposed, it was for the best. Though the first year of their relationship had been great, things slowly began to deteriorate as Danny kept trying to save the world his way and his <em>freaking girlfriend<em> kept interfering. Among the fights of how Danny should handle the—relatively easy—ghosts, were fights about who they hung out with, why Danny went to that party when Sam went to this party, and who was right about certain friends they were allowed to have. By the end of their second year, they decided that sexual tension may have been what was causing so much problems and, for a while, sex worked. Their first time was awkward, but still marvelous. However, once the sex was frequent enough and stopped being a means to express their love, the fights renewed with more vigor. Eventually, as much as it tore Danny, they mutually decided to break up a week ago.

It didn't matter how mutual it was, though; Danny still felt like he had been dumped.

"Dude, don't even worry about it," Tucker assured him, "You're better off without her."

The ghost boy sighed, "I just…I wish it could at least be like before, when we were friends."

"She'll come around, dude," Tucker said. "Meantime, let's get going. We'll be late again."

With a nod, Danny followed him into Casper High, hoping that—at the very least—he and Sam wouldn't see each other often. As Danny walked toward the entrance, almost directly behind Sam and her boyfriend, it began to dawn on him that he would most certainly not see her right now; as Sam and her goth passed the threshold, a ghost portal opened right before Tucker and Danny, engulfing the two boys and sending them straight into a lair filled with the rhythmic ticks of clocks.

"Ow!" Tucker cried, having fallen over face-first. "What the hell?"

Danny, who had immediately gone ghost once the portal was in sight, floated inches above the floor. "I'm not sure…but Clockwork doesn't just call me here for no reason. Something must be up."

With a small huff, the techno geek picked himself up and dusted off his clothes. Once righted again, the boys nodded to each other and wandered around the cavernous lair, trying to find the infamous master of time.

"Where is he?" Danny whispered to himself. Grunting, the ghost turned to his left, his breath catching in his throat.

On a small, shadowed shelf stood a thermos; the thermos was obviously abused, having many dents that looked as though whatever was inside was fighting fiercely to get out. Gulping, Danny could feel waves of killing energy coming from the thermos and, with careful steps, the teenager approached the cylinder.

"What am I _doing_?" Danny muttered to himself, aware of his intentions. "This guy is _evil incarnate_. I got lucky last time I beat him."

But Danny, despite what he'd said to Sam all those years ago, was a hero at heart and was restless when peace was achieved. He was glad that the occasional ghost attack was really just a lost soul wandering around nowadays, but Danny missed the challenge and, at times, sought out his fights rather than waiting for any more attacks. After three years, Danny wondered, how much had he improved? Would he be able to take on his older ghostly counterpart and win? Or would he fail again and finally have the challenge he'd been missing for years?

With a growl, the ghost boy slapped himself, hard. It didn't matter how _bored_ Danny was. That was no excuse to put innocent lives at risk. How could he even consider letting out _that monster_?

"Daniel."

Yelping, said boy jumped and turned around, hands emitting their signature green glow. With a sigh of relief, Danny relaxed at the sight of an old master of time, Tucker standing beside him.

"Clockwork? What's going on? Why did you call me here?"

Clockwork glanced at the dusty thermos before leading the boys to three giant portals, each showing different histories. "I have unfortunate news. I…am dying."

Shocked, both boys looked at the aged ghost.

"What?" Danny choked out. "You…you can't die! You're _Clockwork_! You're the Master of Time! You would've known if you were dying! And, hell, you're a ghost! How can you die?"

The elderly ghost chuckled and, slowly, Danny realized that the time master's current form wasn't changing like it normally would.

"Daniel, I may be a ghost, but there is a time when every ghost must pass on to the other world. As you are old enough to understand, I decided my time was now."

"_Right _now?" Tucker asked.

Clockwork shook his head. "No, not right now. Daniel isn't ready yet."

"Ready?" Danny echoed. "Why do _I_ need to be ready?"

Clockwork faced his portals, observing time. "I have been craving true death for many years, Daniel; but, as you know, someone must oversee that time marches on. Someone must watch the parade from above, see all the twists and turns it could take," Clockwork turned to Danny, staring at the ghost boy pointedly, "and make sure that what needs to be done for the sake of time is _done_. As much as I wanted to move on, I could not…because there was no one to take over once I'd gone."

Danny's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "You…you want _me_ to become the master of _time_? What about school? My life? My dreams?"

Clockwork chuckled. "Daniel, you and I both know that, right now, those don't exist. First of all, as master of time is a full time occupation, you wouldn't need to go to college. Second of all, as a ghost, you can go to space whenever you want. Third of all…well, Daniel, we both know you no longer dream. You only crave. And I think what we each want to cast away can help fulfill the other."

Danny sighed, nodding. It was true. Danny had essentially fulfilled his dream of becoming an astronaut and, while he wanted to go to space many more times, he could definitely go as a ghost rather than a human. Besides, the way it was looking, America had given up on trying to find new ways to get people farther and further into space.

"But…it's so lonely," Danny muttered pathetically.

"That's true," Clockwork nodded. "But I do have a companion in mind for you."

Danny looked up, "Really? Who?"

"In due time, Daniel." Clockwork dismissed, gliding over to the thermos. "But, as I said, you're not ready yet. To become master of time, you have many more skills you need to hone as well as new skills you must learn." Danny watched in silent horror—and a bit of anticipation—as Clockwork picked up the demonic thermos and began twisting the top. "And, as I'm sure you've realized, the one to help you become the new master of time is…"

The room erupted and a monstrous roar bellowed throughout the chamber, flinging Danny and Tucker back. Clockwork, who'd had the foresight to know this would happen, cleverly stopped time before Dan exploded the thermos, then calmly floated away to a safer distance before letting time start again.

Dan began laughing as he looked around, a deep, raspy chuckle emerging from his throat. Finally—_finally_—Dan was _free_. He straightened himself, waiting for the smoke to clear. The first thing he spotted was that asshole time master—Dan's eyes narrowed as he noticed that Clockwork seemed…weaker somehow. Smoke aired away and Dan looked in the direction of moaning and coughing, his eyes widening at what he saw.

_Danny Fucking Phantom_.

Dan's lip curled up, revealing a glinting fang, as a growl rumbled through his chest. Dan noted that Tucker was present and Sam was missing, but his focus was drawn to the large green eyes staring at him. His growl grew louder as he realized that, within those eyes, there was no fear—only excitement. Did that little shit think he stood a chance up against Dan? Suddenly, Dan's ugly scowl became a demented smile as he advanced on the ghost boy, intent on making sure _Danny Fucking Phantom_ would remember what it fucking _meant_ to fear Dan.

"Time Out."

"Motherfu—" was all Dan managed to get out before he was frozen in time. Danny sighed in relief and stood up, supporting his frightened best friend. Clockwork glided over calmly, floating right by the murderous ghost.

"Dan may be frozen, but I've made it so that he can see and hear all that is happening."

—_CK_, Dan finished in his head, inwardly seething. However, his curiosity quelled him enough when he realized that only his body was frozen. Dan stared at the time ghost as he passed by and faced the ghost boy and the techno geek.

"What's going on?" Danny asked, eyes darting from Dan to Clockwork. Dan's anger was moderately assuaged at seeing how nervous he made the boy. "Why are you freeing _him_?"

"He will help you. He will be your guide and teacher…and perhaps more. He will prepare you until you are ready to take over as the ghost of time," Clockwork responded, surprising Dan.

Clockwork was retiring? And he wanted that little shit to take over? _And_ he wanted _Dan_ to train said little shit? 'The fuck was wrong with the old man?

"But…he'll just kill me." Danny remarked, Dan agreeing.

"No, he won't." Clockwork smirked and, suddenly, a collar materialized itself around Dan's neck. Though frozen, Dan's rage made his eye twitch. A collar? Like he was a fucking dog? The fuck was it supposed to do anyway?

"Whenever Dan is acting up—as in, he threatens your life, the lives of innocents, or other ghosts—the collar will activate and automatically short out his powers. Let's give it a try. Time in."

Immediately after Dan felt the time master's power lift from him, the murdering ghost raised his fist and began to shoot an ecto-blast at Danny. However, instead of frying the boy where he stood, a sharp electrical current ran through Dan's body and, humiliatingly, forced Dan to his knees as he suddenly felt weak and—to his horror—powerless.

"What…the fuck…did you do to me?" Dan panted, glaring daggers at the smirking elder ghost.

"You know exactly what I did. I've already told you and Daniel. Now, Dan, listen well; if you ever want that, frankly, demeaning collar removed, you have to help Daniel. Once he becomes the Master of Time, you are free to go. However, as you must realize, from that point on, Daniel is free to do as he pleases with you."

Dan narrowed his eyes. It was a lose/lose situation for him no matter how he looked at it. He'd only get, perhaps, a few years of joy from kicking the little shit's ass before Danny decides to wipe him from existence. Dan frowned—it wasn't like he had much choice, though. If he refused, Clockwork would probably erase him there, on the spot. So—Dan glanced at his younger self—he would have to win his younger self's favor and convince the boy that he really had changed his ways. It wouldn't be easy, but—Dan hid a smirk—he could do it…and then he'd get his revenge on _Danny Fucking Phantom_.

"So, what do you say, Dan?" Clockwork asked.

"…As if I have much choice," the muscular ghost reluctantly muttered. He stood and sauntered over to the young crime-fighter, taking in the changes that had occurred over the last three years. Without a doubt, Danny was taller and looked stronger, but was very lean. Despite how strong the boy probably was, Dan noticed that Danny's eyes were still as large as ever…they were even sort of girlishly large. And though the boy clearly had a lean body, it was slight and reminded him of a girl who was flat. Danny had even gone so far as to let his bangs grow a little longer, covering part of his feminine face, making it more girlish.

And so Dan began guffawing. "You look like a fucking _school girl_!"

Danny, taken aback, was speechless for a second before pouting and roving his eyes over his…"mentor."

Dan hadn't changed much, other than the flames being a bit longer. Apparently, the lack of exercise had no effect on Dan, as his muscles were as rippling as ever. The ghost stood a whole head taller than Danny, who had his growth spurt and now stood at 5'8. Danny frowned, figuring that the extra height probably came from Vlad. Dan's icy red eyes were still piercing and awful, though Danny hated to admit that the red was sort of captivating…it was the same shade of red that Sam would wear. All in all, Danny had nothing to offend—if anything, he was more depressed.

Once Dan finally calmed down, Danny decided to address the sociopath. "So, your name is Dan? I thought you and I were the same."

"Fuck you," Dan replied. "We're _nothing_ alike and you know it. All I am are your regrets, fears, disappointments, and anger, as well as Vlad's. Over the years, I stopped being a mesh of you two and became 'Dan.' I think it suits me."

Danny shrugged, surprised at how civil Dan was being. "I see. You do realize that once I'm the time ghost, I'm erasing you from the timeline."

"Let's make a deal," Dan frowned, suddenly serious, "If I can reform, you let me live. I'll even take over your former job and protect the world."

"Absolutely not," Danny scowled. "I don't trust you."

Dan chuckled. "Good call. I still say I should get brownie points for good behavior. Isn't it against your hero code to ignore someone who is truly trying to change?"

Danny grit his teeth—Dan was right. No matter how evil Dan was, if he _could_ change, Danny wouldn't be very fair if he didn't give Dan a chance.

"_Fine_," Danny conceded, "But you have until my training is done. Which, by the way, will take how long?"

"One year," Clockwork replied.

"Wait a minute!" Tucker finally yelled. "Danny! What the hell? You're _okay_ with this? Clockwork is _dying_ and he wants _you_ to take over! You're only seventeen, man! You haven't lived your life! And, if that isn't bad enough, he wants _your alternate evil self_ to train you and thinks that flimsy looking collar can keep him contained? _And now_, you're actually gonna give said _psychopath_ a chance and let him live if he manages to fool you into thinking that he's _changed_? Are you stupid or something?"

Danny sighed. "Tucker, I just can't get rid of him because of the past…future…whatever. He deserves a chance. If I'm going to become the master of time, I can't change things to my whim just because I don't like them. I have to give Dan a chance. After all," Danny looked pointedly at Clockwork, smirking a bit, "I have to give everyone a second chance."

Clockwork smiled and nodded at the boy. "Thank you, Daniel. I suggest you be on your way now."

Danny nodded then looked at Dan. "If you really want to start proving you can change, I suggest you start by doing what I say until it's time to train me, okay?"

Begrudgingly, Dan nodded. Clockwork waved his staff, one of the portals reflecting Casper High and, with a wave from the two teens, the trio jumped through the portal, appearing behind the school.

"Hey," Dan muttered, looking around, "Where's your girlfriend? Sam?"

Danny sighed. "We broke up."

"Oh, so you managed to finally ask her out after all? What did I miss while I was locked up?"

"Look, I need you to turn invisible and intangible and just follow me around today. I don't really want to talk about it," Danny replied testily. "Now let's go."

The ghost boy switched back to his human form and Dan noticed that Danny's signature style had drastically changed. Now, the teenager donned blue jeans that weren't as loose, a black long sleeve shirt under a red plaid, short sleeve button-up, and black oxfords on his feet. Raising a brow, the demi-demon ghost looked at his former best friend, taking in the techno-geek's fashion. Tucker had apparently let go of the stupid beret; now, the boy wore dark blue jeans, a purple shirt, and a black sweater. Dan shrugged and followed both boys in, following Danny's instructions. Discreetly, he approached his ex-best friend.

"Hey, Tucker," Dan whispered. After a small jump, Tucker moderately relaxed and acknowledged the ghost.

"What?" Dan grinned, noting the nervousness in the boy's voice.

"What happened with Danny and his stupid girlfriend?"

"Stupid ex-girlfriend," Tucker corrected. "And I doubt Danny wants me to tell his alternate future evil self about his relationships."

"I think I should know," Dan replied. "Maybe I can help him."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Killing Sam isn't going to cheer him up."

Dan smirked. "No, but a little revenge never hurt anyone…well, at least not the person looking for revenge."

Tucker frowned and scoffed, opting to ignore the older ghost. However, the Mayor of Amityville stared at his best friend's dejected figure as Danny led them to class. All week, Danny hadn't been himself and, to be fair, it wasn't like Dan could actually hurt anyone.

"Promise no one gets hurt and I'll tell you."

Dan chuckled quietly, nodding. "Deal."

* * *

><p>Dan stood beside Danny quietly as the teacher in front of the class droned on, thinking over what Tucker had told him. Apparently, Danny had saved the world, Vlad had vanished (thank god), and everyone knew now that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom where the same person. Danny was also (obnoxiously) famous and many girls kept throwing love notes through Dan to Danny. Danny, the depressed dolt, just glanced at them and brushed them off his desk. In the back of the class, Sam sat with her new boyfriend, apparently playing tonsil hockey.<p>

"Miss Manson," the teacher finally sighed. "I understand I'm not that interesting, but if you and your…activity partner could please pay attention, that would be grand."

With a blush, Sam separated herself from her plaything and Danny jumped slumped more in his seat, clearly disturbed. Dan noticed that his young counterpart's hands were tightly clenched. Dan frowned, feeling abnormally…_possessive_ of his younger self. Dan shrugged—clearly Dan was the only one who could cause Danny pain. Anyone else was unnecessary and intruding on Dan's territory. With an evil smirk, the man crouched so that his mouth was beside Danny's ear.

"Hey, Danny," he whispered. Danny's eyes shifted in Dan's direction. Dan assumed that meant he had the boy's attention. "Want to see something funny?"

Danny's eyes narrowed and a black eyebrow raised in question.

"I won't harm anyone, I promise. I just want to have a little fun with that goth bitch…and his girlfriend," Dan clarified, his voice smoother than jazz.

Danny huffed and turned his attention back to the teacher. Frowning, Dan quickly regained his smile, making himself tangible. He laid an invisible arm across Danny's shoulders, making the boy jump a bit in his seat and shift his "angry eyes" in Dan's direction.

_What?_ the boy mouthed through visibly clenched teeth.

"C'mon, Danny-boy," Dan replied, his mouth disturbingly close to Danny's ear, "She _deserves_ it. You and I both know it. After all you've been through together, don't you think she should respect you a bit more and at least do that stuff outside? It's just harmless fun…and she'll learn a lesson."

"I said no," Danny whispered back firmly and finally turned his attention back to the teacher, ending the conversation. With a pout, Dan stood straight and leaned against Danny's side. Danny glanced at the sadist, but decided not to question Dan's sudden comfort with getting so close to Danny. For all the ghost boy knew, this was Dan's weird way of trying to get Danny's trust.

The bell rang minutes later and Dan straightened himself again, waiting for the ghost boy to get his things. As Danny put away his last book, Dan noticed that a nervous-looking Sam stood behind him patiently.

"D…Danny?" she managed. Danny visibly became more rigid, but complacently turned and faced her. He bravely looked her in the eyes, but Sam's gaze averted itself.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Look, I'm sorry about just now. Uhm… I didn't want to, because you're here and I figure this is still pretty fresh for you, but Alan can be coaxing. And, now that I think about it, he's kind of an asshole and…well, I suppose getting with someone and trying to fill that hole you left was kind of my way of coping."

"I…I see," Danny replied, softening. "I didn't think this break up was hard on you."

Sam sighed. "Of course it is, Danny. I feel like I lost my best friend. I'm sorry…I went the wrong way about handling how I felt. Can we be friends?"

Danny smiled. "Of course, Sam. Nothing would make me happier."

Sam finally smiled back and looked him in the eyes. "Cool. Wanna sit together at lunch?"

"Like old times?"

"Yeah, the old group."

Danny grinned, hugging the girl gently. "Great. Lunch it is. I, uh…I have quite a bit to talk to you about."

With a small wave and a wide smile, Sam left the room. Danny followed her shortly, after sending a smug grin in Dan's direction. Dan huffed, rolling his eyes.

_So she wasn't a bitch_, he thought, _big fucking whoop_.

* * *

><p>"Oh man, I can't tell you how good it feels to eat lunch today," Tucker commented as he sat across from Danny and Sam.<p>

Sam smiled, nodding. "Same here. I miss you guys."

"Well, here's hoping we never split up again," Danny chuckled.

"Hey, Fenton!" they all heard and turned to see Dash approaching them. "Sorry we're late." Behind him came a smiling Kwan.

Danny smiled at them as the football players sat down beside Tucker. After Danny Phantom had outed himself as Danny Fenton, Dash immediately apologized for the all the abuse he'd put Danny through and, Danny, knowing that Dash could be a good guy when he wasn't under peer pressure, accepted. Kwan was also forgiven, as Danny, Sam, and Tucker knew that Kwan was actually quite reluctant when it came to bullying them. Quickly, they became good friends and Dash and Kwan were inducted as members of their small group. Dan scowled at the group of teenagers, surprised at how much had changed simply because of Danny.

It was enough to make him sick.

He also hated being ignored and made it a point to stand behind Danny, both of Dan's large hands on the teenager's shoulders.

"So, we got your text, man." Dash said. "What's so important?"

"Important?" Sam frowned. "Did something happen, Danny? I noticed you disappeared into the ghost zone right before school started. How did that portal get there?"

Danny sighed, feeling the heavy weight of his confession on his shoulders…literally. "That was Clockwork. He summoned me and Tucker to his lair to tell me that he…he's dying."

Sam, Kwan, and Dash glanced at each other in surprise. "How?" they asked simultaneously.

"He says that there comes a time when all ghosts find peace within themselves and are ready to pass onto true death. He…he says that he's ready for that and has been for many years. So, he wants me to take over as the master of time."

"B-But, Danny!" Sam exclaimed. "What about school? What about your family and friends? What about becoming an astronaut?"

Danny smiled sadly. "Sam, I've been to space more times than most astronauts get to be. I can go there anytime as a ghost. Besides, you know me; I'm restless. I'm bored with being a human half the time. You remember all the fights we used to have about me disappearing into the ghost zone just to pick a fight with Skulker or Walker for the fun of it?"

Sadly, Sam nodded. "But what about us? Being the master of time is a full time job."

"Yeah, man," Kwan muttered. "We'll never see you again if you have to keep tabs on the timeline."

Danny chuckled. "We'll still see each other. I promise. But…we can't be together forever, you guys. After senior year, we have to start going our separate ways. It's time for us to grow up."

The table descended into a depressed silence as they realized that Danny was right. Whether he went to college or became the master of time…they wouldn't see him very often anyway. They all knew they were planning on going to different colleges and it was only a matter of time before their small family would have to split up.

"Wait," Tucker blinked, interrupting the silence. "If you're a half ghost when you take over Clockwork's job, aren't you going to get hungry? Need to pee? All that human stuff? How can a human live forever and watch over time?"

Danny sighed, hoping no one would mention it. After Clockwork had dismissed them, it occurred to Danny as well that there was no way a human could do Clockwork's job.

"Does…does that mean…?" Dash stuttered.

"Yes, it does," Danny replied, calmly looking at all of them. "It means I have to become a full ghost…I have to die."

Dan's eyes widened, his hands on Danny's shoulders tightened their grip, and a maniacal grin spread across the man's blue face. Danny Fenton would have to die? Somehow, that sent a shiver of pleasure through Dan as he realized, in a way, one of his greatest pleasures would be fulfilled. As Dan now existed outside of time, Dan could only be erased by Clockwork, so Dan had no need to worry about disappearing once Danny died.

…Maybe, Dan's smile widened, _Dan_ was around to train Danny and then, ultimately, _kill him_.

"I mean, not get hit by a car or anything," Danny chuckled. "Clockwork probably has some way of making me a full ghost in a humane way."

Dan growled. _Fuck_. He hadn't thought of that.

"Anyway, there's more to it than that. Remember how I told you guys about alternate future me?"

The others nodded, Tucker frowning in disapproval.

"Well, he was taken outside of the timeline and, for a while, I thought Clockwork got rid of him." Dan growled again, squeezing the smaller boy's shoulders. Danny winced and sighed. "Sorry, sorry."

As Dan's grip loosened again, Danny rolled his eyes and continued. "Well, he wasn't. 'Dan Phantom,' as he prefers to be called, is still alive. And Clockwork has appointed him to help train me into becoming the master of time. You can show yourself now and, if possible, make it so only we can see you."

Dan grinned menacingly as he became visible again, his black, dead heart filling with joy at the frightened faces staring back at him. His aura manifested into a green vortex that spiraled around them, hiding the group of five from the other students. Outside of the vortex, Dan could hear screaming from the other students.

"Oh, my god!" Dash exclaimed. "He'll kill us! Why would Clockwork _do_ something like that?"

Danny smiled. "Relax, guys. He can't hurt you and he's promised to try to turn over a new leaf."

"How can you be so trusting, Danny?" Sam scowled. "_You're_ the one who told us he's tried to kill us!"

"I know," Danny nodded. "And I'm asking you all to trust me. He won't hurt you. _I won't let him_." Danny looked over his shoulder and pointedly into Dan's red eyes. Dan grinned sadistically in return, accepting the challenge.

The group relaxed, though their eyes all kept flitting back to Dan.

"You can go invisible and intangible again," Danny commanded. "And get rid of the vortex. I was hoping you'd do something more subtle."

"I won't go intangible," Dan replied. "I like knowing that you can _feel_ me." Danny shuddered. "And I never do subtle, Danny-boy."

Dan seemingly melted away and the vortex disappeared, the confused students outside of the table staring at the apparently normal group of teens at their usual spot. A murmur passed through the crowd as the students figured Danny Phantom must've momentarily lost control of his powers or something. They shrugged, knowing that the ghost boy was prone to discovering new powers, and returned to their seats. Dan scowled at them in disgust, annoyed that he was so quickly dismissed.

"So…what does this mean for us?" Sam eventually asked.

Danny sighed. "It means I've got one year to live and I want to spend that year with you guys as much as possible while I train. As master of time, I imagine it'll be pretty lonely."

"But Clockwork promised you a companion, remember?" Tucker supplied.

"Oh, yeah," Danny recalled. "He did. I wish I knew who he had in mind."

Dan scowled. Not only was he supposed to train the little shit, now he had to hear about how Danny apparently was going to be hooked up with someone while Dan could possibly be erased forever? Great. Suddenly, Dan felt strange. He looked around and noticed that everyone was standing or sitting perfectly still. Dan raised a brow as he suddenly registered that there was a weight on his chest and looked down, noting that there was a telltale gear-like pendant on a necklace around his neck.

"Clockwork," he droned. "What do you want?"

"The question is," the ever-knowledgeable ghost replied, "What do _you_ want?"

"'The fuck are you going on about?" Dan scowled, turning to face the elderly master of time.

"You don't want to be erased, correct?"

"Of course."

"And Daniel needs a companion in the afterlife. Unlike me, who was always alone and preferred it that way, Daniel cannot cope as a loner. He needs to have someone there, preferably someone who can satisfy all of Daniel's needs…romantic and otherwise."

Dan stared at the ghost for a while when, belatedly, it clicked. "Are you fucking _insane_? I'm _not gay_, asshole!"

Clockwork raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "…_Really_?"

Dan, uncharacteristically, sputtered. "Wha…? _Yes! Really!_ I'm not gay, you demented ass!"

"So you don't find Daniel the _least_ bit attractive?"

Dan was about to refuse when it struck him that Dan had been extremely close to Danny lately—ever since the classroom, Dan had made it a point to _touch_ Danny in some way. Throughout every class, Dan had stared at Danny, obsessing over Danny's feminine features.

"Question." Dan declared.

"Shoot," Clockwork smirked, already knowing how the conversation would end.

"I'm extremely buff. Will he grow up like me?"

"He will not get past the age eighteen. He will look as he now does forever."

"Is he going to do that weird thing you do, where you switch ages constantly?"

"If he so chooses. I do it to show that I am not part of the timeline…I only watch it. Daniel, however, will probably not do as I do, unless in the face of company or the observers."

"…Why are you pushing for this?"

Clockwork smiled almost kindly. "He needs a companion. You need to survive. Doesn't it seem like it makes sense?"

"Isn't that a little unfair?" Dan raised a brow. "He's not gay, from what I recall. Forcing him into homosexuality out of need…that sounds horrible." Dan grinned. "I kind of like it."

The master of time chuckled. "I will do what is necessary for the sake of the timeline."

Dan smirked evilly. "All right. _Fine_. I'll give this gay thing a go, if only to torture the boy."

Clockwork nodded and removed the emblem from Dan, disappearing into his lair. He watched the portal that showed the lunchroom where the teenagers continued their planning for Daniel's demise. Clockwork watched for a while, able to see Dan's obvious glee at what the sadist thought was forcing Daniel into what was basically Stockholm syndrome.

The all-knowing ghost smirked. He would let Dan believe what he wanted to, if only for the sake of the timeline.

And so time marches on…

* * *

><p>Yeah, okay. I know the thing with Sam seems a little rushed, but I really hate the idea of bashing any characters and where I was going with it seemed dangerously close to bashing her. I never liked the Sam and Danny pairing, but it doesn't mean Sam is a bad character.<p> 


	2. Monster

YEP. Time to get back into writing. Because I have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD FOR THIS.

I really don't want to do any of my papers.

* * *

><p>Dan smirked evilly. "All right. <em>Fine<em>. I'll give this gay thing a go, if only to torture the boy."

Clockwork nodded and removed the emblem from Dan, disappearing into his lair. He watched the portal that showed the lunchroom where the teenagers continued their planning for Daniel's demise. Clockwork watched for a while, able to see Dan's obvious glee at what the sadist thought was forcing Daniel into what was basically Stockholm syndrome.

The all-knowing ghost smirked. He would let Dan believe what he wanted to, if only for the sake of the timeline.

And so time marches on…

* * *

><p>Danny sighed as he entered the threshold of his house, his murderous older counterpart behind him. It disturbed him how intent Dan was with touching Danny, but the boy figured he had more important things to worry about. Besides, it wasn't so much the act of touching that was worrying Danny, but the fact that it was a murdering sociopath from the future that was touching him.<p>

"Hey, sweetie!" Madeline Fenton called as she walked into the den, hugging her son. "How was school?"

"I…It was great, mom. Actually, are Jazz and dad home? I need to talk to everybody," the teen responded nervously.

With a quick frown, Maddie nodded. "Yes, everyone's here. Did something happen?"

Danny shook his head. "When we're all together, I'll tell you."

Maddie sighed, worried, but she nodded again and walked around the small house, rounding up the other members of the Fenton family. Maddie and Jack hadn't changed much, other than a few more wrinkles appearing by their eyes, but the Fenton parents were still as agile and ghost obsessed as ever. However, now that they knew about their son, they'd made more of an effort to find out why some ghosts were evil and others were good and find out if their deaths had any hand in that.

Jazz was a college sophomore, studying psychiatry and English. As the years went on, Jazz continued to support her brother in his ghostly adventures, but understood that Danny was an adult and was mature enough to handle his problems on his own; she always stressed, however, that she was there for him when Danny needed her. As it so happened, the long-haired girl decided to visit the family that week now that her college had given her a small break. Danny sighed; Clockwork must've picked this week on purpose, then.

As Danny sat patiently waiting for his family in the kitchen, Dan looked around the house, remembering snippets of his human past. With a scowl, he realized that he was reminiscing and even feeling a tad…guilty. In the future, Dan had avoided remembering his family; it was always a particularly sore spot for him and the only spot that made him remember his humanity. He was close to Sam and Tucker, but some part of him knew—deep down—that Jazz had known about Dan's (_Danny's_) secret_, _would've always been there for him. Some part of him knew that his mother, who was amazing and protected him (protected _Danny_) through thick and thin, would've accepted him. Some part of him knew that his father, crazy and ghost obsessed as he is, would've been proud of Dan (not you, Dan; of _Danny_) for the hard work he'd done protecting everyone as "Danny Phantom."

Finally, Maddie walked into the kitchen, Jack and Jazz trailing behind her.

"Danny, my boy!" Jack shouted happily, "What's up? Have some ghostly news you wanted to share with us?"

Jazz rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Dad, just because Danny wants to get us all together, it doesn't mean it's going to be about ghosts."

"But if it is, feel free to tell us, dear," Maddie added. Danny smiled at them as they all sat down, looking at him expectantly. He opened his mouth to speak, then felt the weight of two heavy hands on his shoulders. With a sigh and a shrug, Danny decided to let it go.

"Actually, Jazz, dad's right. This is about ghosts…specifically Clockwork." The family glanced at each other before returning their attention to Danny. As Danny and his parents now worked closely with each other, Danny had provided them with a briefing of each ghost he'd encountered, what they do, and the best way to beat them.

So far, Danny had not figured out how to beat Clockwork, though it never came up regardless.

Jazz already knew about Clockwork from the few times she'd been sucked into an adventure with Danny and met the mysterious master of time. The uni student knew that Clockwork was a trustworthy ghost who had taken a liking to Danny and was sort of a surrogate mentor to the boy. (i)

"What about Clockwork?" Jazz finally asked.

Frowning, Danny told them what he'd told his friends. As expected, the reactions were similar, though stronger.

"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed. "You're only seventeen! You can't _die_ yet! You haven't lived your life!"

"Jazz is right, dear!" Maddie cried. "You're just a boy! You can't decide something like this!"

"…Is this what you want, Danny?" Jack asked quietly.

Danny, as well as Maddie and Jazz, turned surprised faces to the man. He simply stared back at them solemnly, with a wisdom many of them forgot he possessed.

"I…yes, dad. I want to become the master of time. My life has been more fulfilling than most people's and I'm ready to move onto something else. I don't feel fulfilled right now…and I don't think being a human can be fulfilling anymore."

"Danny, you can't _mean _that—!" Maddie began.

"Maddie," Jack interrupted. "Danny's almost eighteen. He's almost an adult. He knows what he wants. He's been fighting ghosts since he was fourteen. He's more mature than most kids his age and can make his own decisions. If this is what he truly wants…then we have to respect that and support him."

Maddie, shocked, shook her head slowly. "No…I…I can't lose my baby…"

Danny bit his lower lip, attempting to keep the tears at bay. He loved his family, but his mom held an especially soft spot for him. As he figured, he knew leaving his mother would be the hardest part of his decision. "You…You won't lose me, mom. I'll visit, I promise. I just…I _need_ to do this, mom."

"Why!" the upset mother shouted, unabashedly crying. "Why would you ever have to _die willingly_? Why can't you wait a few years _before_ you decide if this is what you really want? You haven't even lived _half_ your life, Danny!"

Jazz put a comforting hand on Maddie's shoulder. "Mom…I agree with dad." Maddie whipped around to face her daughter. "I think Danny is old enough to realize what he wants and we have to let him live his life…even if it technically means he has to die. It's not like we'll never see him again. "

"Jasmine, your brother will be _dead_ next time we see him!" Maddie replied. "How would he even _become_ the master of time? Clockwork's too busy to teach him anything and Danny _still_ has to go to school! I won't let him drop out!"

"I…I was just getting to that, actually," Danny said. "Clockwork appointed me with a…'mentor.'"

Dan squeezed Danny's shoulder's gently, surprising the ghost boy. Danny honestly expected Dan to be enjoying the show; however, since Dan _had_ been touching Danny all day, the boy had figured out that Dan had different levels of squeezing depending on how he felt. If he squeezed especially hard, Dan was angry. If he squeezed _just_ hard, Dan was pleased with whatever horrible thing was happening. If he gave a medium squeeze, Dan was bored. But…the soft squeeze? Danny hadn't felt that one yet and didn't expect to ever feel it.

Was…was Dan feeling _sad_?

Dismissing it as ludicrous, but feeling he should do something in return, Danny patted his seemingly bare shoulder. His family looked on curiously, unaware that he was patting Dan's hand in, what Danny hoped, was a gesture of comfort. Danny received another gentle squeeze for his efforts and, satisfied, Danny steeled himself.

"I never told you about him, because I was afraid of him for a long while," Danny admitted, bringing some tidbit of joy to Dan. "But Jazz knows about him."

Jazz raised a curious eyebrow, before she gasped. Danny frowned guiltily, noticing how pale his sister got; obviously, despite how brave Jazz had tried to act when she fought Dan, she was still troubled. "You…you don't mean…?"

Danny nodded. "Jazz, please sit down. All of you should."

The family looked around, noticing that, as their emotions peaked earlier with the talk of Danny's death, they all stood up without even realizing it. Maddie sighed and relaxed, sitting down, and the other two members of the family followed suit. Jazz, Danny noted, hugged herself, but seemed to calm down.

"What I'm going to tell you may be difficult to hear, but you need to know before you meet him," Danny sighed. "Remember when I took the C.A.T's? The Career Aptitude Test?" He received nods and continued. "Well, there was a fight at the Nasty Burger and, in the course of events, I accidentally phased through Lancer's briefcase and got the answers. I seriously considered cheating. At that point, Clockwork made it seem like he was going to destroy me, because, somehow, I grew up to be the most evil ghost in the world. It figures that…because I cheated, Lancer found out and had you all meet him at the Nasty Burger, where it exploded and…and you guys, plus Tucker, Sam, and Mr. Lancer died. I…I was so devastated that I went to Vlad, hoping he could understand me. He took me in and respected my wish to not feel anything anymore by ripping my ghost half out of me. My ghost half rebelled though…I-I don't know why."

Dan scowled. _I could tell you._

"He ripped the ghost half out of Vlad and tried to fuse with Vlad's evil half…and became overwhelmed with it. He…he killed my human half then spent ten years destroying the world. In the end, I went back in time and stopped him, putting him in the Fenton Thermos, where Clockwork has kept him outside of the time stream for the last three years. You can show yourself now."

Dan turned visible, hands still on Danny's shoulders. The family recoiled at the sight of him, but unlike before, Dan didn't find himself enjoying it as much. He looked at them all with a blank expression, surprising his younger counterpart.

"He…uh…well, admittedly, he's kind of tame right now. But, yeah. This is 'Dan Phantom,' and he'll be training me to become the master of time. He has a collar around his neck that Clockwork made and it keeps him from hurting anyone. However, he's promised that he'll try to change his ways."

Jazz did her best from hyperventilating, Dan noticed. The Fenton parents were shocked silent, staring at the demonic apparition that, unfortunately, resembled their son too much.

"You…You can't be real," Maddie finally whispered.

"I assure you, _mother_, I'm quite real," Dan replied calmly. He turned his attention to Jazz, who jumped. "And Jazz…last time we met…Well, I'm sorry about that. You always _were_ a bright girl, Jazz. And, I don't recall much from my humanity, but I do recall you being there for me. So…thanks, I suppose."

Jazz stopped shaking, staring at the ghost in wonder. She could tell he had a hard time saying that to her, but she could also sense a sincerity to his words. Finally, her rational mind took over again, and she began to analyze him with everything she'd learned in her psychology classes.

Danny's parents calmed down enough to start asking the older ghost questions and Jazz took note to how Dan replied to them. Slowly, Jazz relaxed enough to walk over to the ghost and put a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, though not showing it outwardly, Dan turned to his sister.

"Can I help you?" he finally asked.

Danny looked at them curiously, mildly noting that Dan had yet to remove his hands from Danny's shoulders.

"You really are sorry, aren't you?" Jazz countered. "You _miss_ us, don't you?"

Dan bared his fangs and growled, but made no other move to answer. Jazz took it as a cue to keep going.

"You regret that we died, don't you? You're _sad_ we died. You…you may even feel guilty about it."

"So why did he try to kill you all again?" Danny muttered.

"Maybe because, otherwise, I wouldn't exist?" Dan replied testily. "And remember how I told you that I'm all your regret, anger, frustration, and disappointment all rolled into one neat package with all of those same feelings from Vlad? _Of fucking course_, I regret our family died. _Of fucking course_, I regret that I tried to kill them again! But my survival instincts are stronger."

Danny stared at his older counterpart, who looked back at the boy seriously. "I am a monster…and you are my Frankenstein.(ii) Don't blame _me_ for what I am. If you hadn't have tried to get rid of me, then none of that would've happened. You thought your human half was the only half capable of feeling emotions?" Dan leaned down, hissing into Danny's face. "_Newsflash, asshole._ Ghosts feel too."

Danny's mouth hung open in surprise, unable to form words. Dan's red eyes flickered to Danny's lips quickly, but Dan straightened himself and looked down at the ghost boy.

"I'm sorry," Danny finally said. Dan raised his eyebrows. "You're right. I…I hurt you too, didn't I? I'm sorry about that. We…we should start over. If you're willing to turn over a new leaf, then I'm willing to give you that chance and give you the benefit of the doubt."

Dan scowled. "Don't expect me to be nice to your friends."

Danny chuckled. "I hope you're joking. Anyway, Dan…go sit in the living room and watch TV or something. I have to finish this conversation."

"I can stand here," Dan replied.

"I know," Danny nodded, "But I'd rather you sit down."

With a huff and a flip of his cape, Dan nodded and obediently moved to the living room and fell onto the couch. Figuring he may as well see how the world had changed, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

In the kitchen, the other members of the family stared at the doorway for a while, amazed that the supposedly sociopathic ghost listened so easily.

"Wow, Danny," Jack said, "You've certainly got him under control."

Danny frowned. "I guess, though I like to think it's more me making requests and him abiding by them. I don't want to force him into anything. He's a person, too; I'm disappointed I didn't realize that already. He deserves to be treated with respect." Danny's eyes lowered. "Especially since it's my fault he's like that."

Maddied stared at her son, bewildered. Somehow, she never noticed how grown up her son was…until right then. "Okay, Danny."

Danny looked up curiously at his mother. "Okay, what?"

"Your father and sister are right. As much as it pains me to say this…you're an adult now. You can make your own decisions. And if you want to be a permanent ghost…I'll respect that and support you."

The boy smiled and stood, hugging his mother. She hugged him back, almost desperately, knowing that when she let go of her son, she was letting go of so much more. Jazz and Jack looked on sympathetically and joined the group hug. As they began to separate, Maddie smiled.

"Dan! Please come in here!" she called. The other members of the family looked at her curiously, then turned their attention to the ghost who reluctantly entered the kitchen.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"None of the sass, young man," she declared. "You're going to be training Danny and you are technically partly Danny, so that means that you're part of this family."

Dan's eyes widened considerably as he stared at the kind smile of his mother. "I…what?"

"You're part of this family, Dan," Maddie repeated softly. "So come here, hun. That means you have to be part of the group hugs."

"I'm a murderous, psychotic, sociopath whose only joy can be found in the screams of others and the sounds of their sick, inhumane deaths. You do realize that, right?"

"Yes," she replied.

"But you're also a ghost," Jazz clarified. "And you have feelings, too."

Dan blinked, not expecting his own words to be used against him like that. "…Do I have to?"

Jack laughed. "Of course, Dan! Now get over here!"

And in a show of (what Dan classified as) bravery, Jack pulled the unenthusiastic ghost into the group hug with the rest of the family. With a groan, Dan decided not to fight it and slowly wrapped his arms around the closest family member. He looked down and realized his arms were around Danny's slight waist. As the family laughed and hugged each other, Dan watched his counterpart's expression of happiness and absorbed the sounds of Danny's laughter. Belatedly, Dan registered that Danny was hugging him back.

Dan refused to admit that it felt nice.

* * *

><p>For the last hour, Danny had been in the kitchen talking to his parents about how his death would impact things and what Danny was planning to do with his last year. Meanwhile, Dan sat in the living room, hand half-heartedly holding the remote, as he watched the twenty-four hours news channel. There was a murder in the news just about every ten minutes and, each time, Dan would scoff and declare the murderer an amateur.<p>

At some point, Jazz sat beside him and watched TV silently with him, though Dan could feel her watching him. Though it seemed that Danny was especially close to his mother recently, Dan's human memory stopped at fourteen and the few synapses of memories that he shared with Jazz before he was trapped in the thermos; thus, Dan felt much more attached to Jazz, in his own detached way. In any event, if Dan ever had to kill his family again, he would certainly kill Jazz last and in a painless way; however, the rest of his family seemed that they deserved the same reward, so Dan kept it in mind.

"Dan?" Jazz finally asked. Dan acknowledged her with a grunt. "Why did Clockwork choose you?"

Dan opened his mouth, prepared to tell her that he didn't know why and didn't particularly care, but he stopped himself. Other than Maddie (who probably was just emotionally close to the boy), Jazz was closest to Danny. Other than his friends, Danny probably talked the most to Jazz about his crushes and feelings. That, Dan decided, might be useful information. But, the ghost recalled, he could simply overshadow her and learn everything she knew. There was no reason to include her in anything.

He glanced at her and noticed her wide, ice-blue eyes. With a frown, he noticed that they were the same ice-blue as Danny's.

_Fuck that kid_. Dan thought, then sighed.

"Clockwork said that, and I quote, 'Daniel cannot cope as a loner. He needs to have someone there, preferably someone who can satisfy all of Daniel's needs…romantic and otherwise.'"

The girl's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait…'romantic?' So…your real purpose is…?"

"I _will_ be training Danny, yes, but mostly on fighting skills and all that jazz." He stared at his sister until she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I got it." (iii)

With a grin, he continued. "But the real reason I'm around is to be his companion. I don't know anything about being the master of time anymore than Danny does. Probably less, as I've been trapped in a thermos for three years. But the goal isn't for me to teach him to be the ghost of time. The goal is for me to make him stronger and to grow on him…so that I can be his 'romantic and otherwise' companion."

"B-But, Danny's not gay!" Jazz whispered.

Dan shrugged. "Tell that to Clockwork."

Jazz began to reply, but she noticed that the air felt cold. She looked at Dan and saw that red smoke came out of his nose, similar to Danny's ghost sense. She sat up, ready to defend herself, when she noticed that Danny hadn't come into the den or gone ghost. In fact, from what she could see, Danny and her parents seemed almost unnaturally still.

"It's Clockwork," Dan provided, helpfully pointing to the medallions around both their necks.

"Clockwork?" Jazz echoed.

"Yes," replied the ghost of time, as he appeared before them. "Me. Hello, Jazz. It's been a while."

"I…I suppose," Jazz blinked. "Why…?"

"Mostly because I needed to talk to Dan, but, seeing as how he's filled you in on our little secret, there is no point in excluding you."

"I see," she muttered.

"Well, Dan," Clockwork smirked, "You're quite complacent. Nothing like your normal self."

Dan scowled at him. "So I like my family. Big fucking surprise."

"More than that, Dan," Clockwork replied. "But I suppose we'll talk about that later."

"Clockwork? Why do you want Dan to be Danny's _companion_? Danny isn't gay." Jazz pointed out.

Dan raised a brow, equally curious.

Clockwork smirked. "Well, then, I suppose I can tell you…_Jazz_."

Dan blinked then scowled. "Now wait a godda—!" And suddenly Dan was yelling at thin air; Jazz was gone from the den and Danny and his parents were still in the kitchen. He looked to the stairs, where Jazz was coming from upstairs.

"What happened?" he asked hastily.

"Nothing," Jazz smiled, then walked to the kitchen.

Dan, uncharacteristically, pouted and sat back, crossing his arms. "That damn Clockwork…he must've taken off my medallion and told Jazz everything."

"Told Jazz what?" Danny asked as he entered the den and sat beside his older counterpart.

"What?" Dan countered, wondering how much Danny had heard.

"You were talking to yourself about telling Jazz everything? What do you mean by that?"

Dan uncrossed his arms and laid one across Danny's shoulders, imperceptibly pulling the boy closer. Danny, however, noticed but refused to comment on it.

"I was berating myself for opening up to Jazz so easily," Dan finally replied.

Danny chuckled. "I'd say that's a good thing."

"I'd say you're wrong," Dan frowned.

Danny smiled. "Dan?" The man in question looked at Danny, giving the boy his attention. "Thank you. I know this must be really hard for you and really against your nature…but, thank you."

Dan merely raised a brow and nodded curtly. Danny didn't need to know how good that made Dan feel.

* * *

><p>Clockwork smirked as he held the medallion that was previously around Dan's neck. Jazz merely looked on curiously.<p>

"Why can't Dan know?"

"He is a sadist at heart," Clockwork replied. "If he knew the real reason, he'd immediately back out. He's not ready to know why, yet."

"So…why?" Jazz asked.

The elderly ghost faced her. "You and your family; Daniel's friends; Daniel's supporters; all of you have done a good job trying to keep Daniel happy and trying to understand him. But, in the end, the only person who could ever really understand Daniel and the changes his body are going through is…_was_ Vlad Masters. Now that Vlad is gone, the only other person who could possibly hope to understand Daniel is…well, Daniel." Clockwork looked at the frozen Dan. "Daniel…now known as Dan…he who understands Daniel's worries, his fears, his anxieties, his pain; because Dan is the embodiment of Daniel's most guarded and yet darkest emotions, Dan is the one who can understand Daniel the most. Dan, who is also Vlad Masters, can understand Daniel more than even Vlad Masters himself could hope to. Dan, who is no longer Vlad Masters and no longer Daniel Fenton, but is now his own person who has a deep understanding of both aforementioned individuals; only Dan could understand Daniel, because Dan is simultaneously Daniel and not Daniel."

Jazz nodded slowly, attempting to comprehend the, admittedly, complicated explanation. "So…you're saying that because Dan used to be half Danny and half Vlad, but is now his own person, he can understand Danny the most?"

"Precisely."

"But, he's still a sociopath," Jazz replied.

"A sociopath that you have seen regrets killing his family," Clockwork defended. "He is extremely misunderstood, as you've noticed yourself."

"But what can Danny offer Dan, then?"

"Dan is the one who can understand and accept Daniel—as a ghost, as a human, or as both. Dan can and will accept Daniel, because Daniel is a part of Dan that Dan can never be rid of and, in a desperation he does not know he feels, wants to be a part of again. The closer to death Daniel is, the closer Dan feels to Daniel. Meanwhile, Daniel, ghost or not, is the touch of humanity that Dan is missing and craves. Dan's constant murders and destruction of the world…that is the equivalent of a child having a tantrum; Dan felt thrown away when he was separated from his human half and, the closer he is to Daniel, the closer he feels to being complete."

"So…I'm trying to understand this," Jazz said, standing. "Danny needs Dan because Dan will understand him and accept him, even when Danny is dead?"

"Yes."

"And, Dan needs Danny because, even if Danny is a full ghost, Danny's humanity makes Dan feel whole?"

"Yes."

"But, Danny will have to be an eternal being if he's going to be the master of time. Won't Danny forget his humanity? If he's a full ghost, he can't possibly always remember what it's like to be human."

"I realized that," Clockwork smiled. "Because I know everything. And, no, Daniel will not forget his humanity. Dan is a murdering, sociopathic, psychopath whose constant want to slay something—though he won't, I assure you—will remind Daniel why humanity is so necessary. Besides, you don't think I picked Daniel on a whim, do you?"

"I don't understand," Jazz admitted.

"Daniel is a very special boy. Full ghost or not, when he is not influenced and torn apart the way Dan was, Daniel will forever retain his humanity, so long as he never rejects it."

"But doesn't becoming the master of time mean he has to reject his humanity?"

"No. When Daniel first created Dan—_that_ was a rejection of his humanity; a rejection of wanting to feel like humans do. But, if Daniel chooses to die for the sake of others—because, as I'm sure you realize, being master of time means having to protect others and ensure that the timeline is safe—that is most one can embrace their humanity."

"So…Danny is…"

"A hero, yes," Clockwork finished. "He is giving himself up for the sake of others…as he craves to. Because, deep down, Daniel is a hero and he always will be one."

"And Dan is…"

"A villain. He is cruel and malicious, but he is so because he was rejected and cast aside. Like Frankenstein's monster, all the monster wants is the acceptance of his creator and someone to spend his life with."

Jazz's eyes widened, recalling what Dan had said at the table a few hours ago.

_I am a monster…and you are my Frankenstein._

"I…I see," she finally whispered. "Why are you telling me all of this, though?"

"Because you're the only one who would understand," Clockwork replied, "And, as such, the only one who can help Dan achieve what must be achieved."

"But…Danny isn't gay."

"I'll give you some time," Clockwork said instead, "Go through Daniel's room. Under his bed, in the middle shoebox, is a journal. Read it. Everything will be as it was when you leave the room and Daniel will have no idea that you were there. When you're done, take off the medallion and come downstairs. Do not reveal any of this to Dan or Daniel."

Jazz bit her lip, considering what she had been told and what she should do. She knew that, morally, she shouldn't go through Danny's things and, no matter how much sense Clockwork seemed to make, it didn't seem fair to force Dan and Daniel together.

_I am a monster…and you are my Frankenstein. Don't blame _me _for what I am._

_All the monster wants is the acceptance of his creator and someone to spend his life with._

With a sigh, Jazz nodded and began walking upstairs determinedly. If Clockwork planned this, then hopefully Clockwork planned this with Danny's happiness in mind. The redhead frowned to herself, hoping that she could trust the master of time…and Dan.

Clockwork watched the girl go, smiling to himself. He turned and looked at Dan.

"You are a monster…but every creation deserves to be happy." With that, Clockwork disappeared back to his lair, watching Jazz as she read the journal Daniel hoped no one would ever, ever find.

And so time marches on…

* * *

><p>(i) "Uni" is short for "university" and it's how most people say it. My American friends say "college," but I prefer "uni."<p>

(ii) From Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_. The creator was named Dr. Frankenstein and the monster (who people usually, _incorrectly_, assume is named Frankenstein) never had a name, further dehumanizing it. I could go into a whole spiel on how great that book was, but this is already 12 pages.

(iii) In case you didn't get it, Dan said "all that jazz" as a pun on Jazz's name.


	3. Self

Okay. So, one time, I made a very sarcastic comment about how I had all the time in the world to write this. Fact is, I have this thing called a life wherein I have work to do. Not to mention, sometimes you lose the inspiration to write and you write small chunks to try and move forward. Actually writing, especially when you intend on writing well, takes time.

I hate reviews like that; reviews that are way disrespectful. To the others that review, I really appreciate it. Please don't let this small rant discourage you from asking me to update. Just be polite about it.

OKAY. I promise to be more mature about this next time, but this has been bothering me since I first read that damn review. ANYWAY. Back to this story thing.

* * *

><p>With a sigh, Jazz nodded and began walking upstairs determinedly. If Clockwork planned this, then hopefully Clockwork planned this with Danny's happiness in mind. The redhead frowned to herself, hoping that she could trust the master of time…and Dan.<p>

Clockwork watched the girl go, smiling to himself. He turned and looked at Dan.

"You are a monster…but every creation deserves to be happy." With that, Clockwork disappeared back to his lair, watching Jazz as she read the journal Daniel hoped no one would ever, ever find.

…

Dan blinked then scowled. "Now wait a godda—!" And suddenly Dan was yelling at thin air; Jazz was gone from the den and Danny and his parents were still in the kitchen. He looked to the stairs, where Jazz was coming from upstairs.

"What happened?" he asked hastily.

"Nothing," Jazz smiled, then walked to the kitchen.

Dan, uncharacteristically, pouted and sat back, crossing his arms. "That damn Clockwork…he must've taken off my medallion and told Jazz everything."

"Told Jazz what?" Danny asked as he entered the den and sat beside his older counterpart.

"What?" Dan countered, wondering how much Danny had heard.

"You were talking to yourself about telling Jazz everything? What do you mean by that?"

Dan uncrossed his arms and laid one across Danny's shoulders, imperceptibly pulling the boy closer. Danny, however, noticed but refused to comment on it.

"I was berating myself for opening up to Jazz so easily," Dan finally replied.

Danny chuckled. "I'd say that's a good thing."

"I'd say you're wrong," Dan frowned.

Danny smiled. "Dan?" The man in question looked at Danny, giving the boy his attention. "Thank you. I know this must be really hard for you and really against your nature…but, thank you."

Dan merely raised a brow and nodded curtly. Danny didn't need to know how good that made Dan feel.

And so time marches on…

* * *

><p>Danny stared at the TV, though he couldn't be bothered to really pay any attention to it. A small part of him was still concerned with how easy it was for him to accept his death. However, another part of him wondered at how Dan was actually supposed to help with training him. Danny, though young, wasn't stupid. He knew Dan knew nothing about being the master of time; he especially knew that Dan was probably less versed than Danny was. Still, Danny believed in Clockwork and believed that Dan had a purpose.<p>

Out of the corner of his eye, Danny stared at the man he would have become. It seemed that Dan was more docile when in their family's presence. Danny was wondering if the collar was really necessary, but mentally scoffed at himself.

_It's been less than a day,_ the ghost boy told himself. _I can't start thinking Dan's already turned over completely. He's probably still plotting something._

"Dan?" Danny ventured.

"Mm?"

"Why do you keep touching me?"

Dan glanced at his counterpart and shrugged. "Primal need?"

Danny's eyes, impossibly, got larger as a red blush burned across his cheeks. "W-What?"

"Oh, don't give me that look." Dan rolled his eyes. "I just meant that, even though I am my own ghost, I'm also half of you. There is a primal longing that is embedded within the half of you that makes me; it's the half that wants to be whole again—the half that, in distress, fused with Vlad's ghost, thinking it could be whole that way. Of course, it was wrong; the only way to be whole was to be back with its human half. But, since the human rejected the ghost, where could a ghost go to be whole?"

"So…you keep touching me because something deep inside you wants to be a part of me again?"

Dan nodded.

"Is there any other reason?"

Raising a brow, the older ghost looked at his younger counterpart. What was with all the questions? Of course, Dan had only given Danny half the truth. True, some part of Dan did want to be reunited with Danny and, thus, kept touching him in a feeble attempt to feel whole. However, with Dan as he was, the only way he'd feel more complete was if Danny were a full ghost. Still, after talking with Clockwork, Dan decided his touches could have more _practical _uses. Though Dan wasn't against forcing himself on Danny, the evil ghost was sure Clockwork would get cross and immediately erase Dan. Somehow, Dan had to _make_ Danny like and crave the touches, but in a discreet way that wasn't obviously abusive. So, Dan decided, fleeting touches here and there—until Danny got used to the touches—would do.

He settled on shaking his head.

"So…I mean, I don't know if it was very pleasant, but…could you tell me a little about yourself? From your timeline, I mean," Danny said after a moment.

Dan looked away. "It's probably best I don't tell you any of that."

"I-It's okay," Danny assured, "I won't judge you or anything. I know…I know part of it was my fault for hurting you like that. I think I should know."

"I…" Dan sighed, "Okay. Fine. It's probably no secret that I did a lot of murdering. I didn't know how to deal with no longer being a part of you. I didn't know how to overcome the evil that Plasmius was. I wasn't on a war path to take over the world. I just…I just wanted to belong somehow, but I knew I never could, so I destroyed everything. It was easier for a while. But then things got too quiet and I started thinking and I couldn't handle that either."

Danny stared at Dan sadly. Had his rejection really caused so much grief?

"I started regretting killing everyone. I could remember all their faces. I really wanted to apologize, but those I hadn't killed would have never forgiven me. More than anything, I missed our family. I missed _you_, missed _us_. I missed being whole and it just made me angry all over again. Killing became a distraction, then. The more creative I got, the less I thought about y—everything."

Danny's brow furrowed. "What were you going to say?"

"…The less I thought about you. You're the only one that makes me complete, Danny." Red eyes bore into blue, and Danny swore his vision was turning purple. "Completeness…it was a fixation of mine that will never leave. I'll always be drawn to you and I'll always want you."

Danny's face flushed a violent shade of red and his breathing hitched. If he didn't know any better, Danny would have sworn this was the world's most fucked up confession ever. But Dan couldn't possibly want Danny that way—right?—so Danny was obviously finally suffering the culmination of all those concussions he should have had.

"I think telling you how I killed them is pushing it," Dan finally said.

"I…Yeah," Danny nodded, flustered.

After a short period of silence, Danny frowned at Dan. "I...Is that why the memorial to our family and friends is still there?"

Dan nodded. "I...couldn't destroy it. Never."

Danny opened his mouth; he didn't quite know what he was going to say, but he felt that he needed to comfort Dan somehow. Since the man had shown Danny more of himself, Danny had begun to feel...

Well, no. That was a lie.

Since the moment they met, Danny had felt a draw to Dan. It was probably the same ache Dan felt—the ache of incompleteness. It seemed there was a stronger compulsion for Dan, but Danny felt it too. Even though it happened in another time period, in another universe, Danny felt the other half of himself calling out for him. Since Dan had opened up to him and kept on touching him, Danny's own pull felt a little stronger. Not enough for him to really reach out and touch Dan, but enough to accept Dan's touches and embraces. As Danny decided on what to say, his cellphone went off, making the young ghost jump.

"You should get that," Dan muttered quietly. Dumbly, Danny nodded and complied.

"H-Hello? Dash? What's wrong?...Say no more; I'm on my way."

Danny stood and clenched his fists, immediately going ghost. As he hopped up into the air to fly off, he stopped midair and glanced back.

"Uh, Dan?"

The ghost regarded him silently.

"Technus is...well, he's being a bit of an asshole and I don't normally need help stopping him, but this would be a good time to train together, right? So-So you can observe me. I mean, if you want..." Danny finished lamely.

Dan's face nearly split in half, his grin was so large.

"Let's see what you've got, Danny-boy."

Danny smirked back and shot off, Dan on his tail.

* * *

><p>Jazz opened the door cautiously; even though Clockwork assured her that no one would be able to walk in on her, she felt nervous. She still felt as though Danny would somehow be able to tell she'd been in his room. With a sigh, Jazz fortified her will and found the journal. The red head turned it over in her hands, running her fingers over the inconspicuous, black cover. She sat down on the floor, legs crossed, and opened the journal to the first page.<p>

The first few pages detailed some of Danny's experiences as a ghost, his growing feelings for Sam, his conflicting feelings for Paulina, his understanding and pity for Dash and Kwan, and his friendship with Tucker.

Around half way through the journal, Jazz frowned as she read about Dan. Danny had taken to describing Dan down to the atom—everything from rippling, scary muscles to a chiseled face and a roguish beard that Danny would dream about. After the pages detailing Danny's victory over Dan and Dan's imprisonment outside of time, Danny wrote about dreams where Dan killed his entire family; dreams where Dan would stand opposite Danny in the mirror; dreams where Dan would sit beside Danny, staring at the statue of Danny Phantom, Earth's savior.

Jazz's eyes widened as Dan became less of a nightmare and more of a companion. Dan would hold conversations with Danny in the younger boy's dreams; they talked about Sam, about Tucker, about sports, about politics, about poetry, and even about pottery.

What the hell did Danny know about pottery?

Finally, Danny wrote—in awful handwriting, clearly in a hurry or flustered—about the dream where Dan kissed Danny. Where, for whatever reason, it felt better than any dream where Sam kissed him. Danny, in his hurry, had apparently ripped the paper a few times with his pencil. Distressed as he was, Danny must not have noticed.

The dates became more and more recent, as far as two months back. Jazz's brow furrowed; after having a wet dream including Dan, Danny had decided that enough was enough. Danny reasoned that it would not be long before he started calling Dan's name while having sex with Sam. Constantly searching for fights with other ghosts was not enough to distract Danny anymore; pouring himself into his relationship with Sam only served to annoy them both and drive them further apart. Danny, at a wit's end, wrote of his plan to rush to Clockwork. Jazz's eyes filled with unshed tears as Danny wrote, desperately, that Clockwork was his only hope—that Clockwork had to find some sort of cure for his strange attraction.

Jazz closed the journal; that was the last page.

"So...what happened? Did Clockwork do something? If Danny was this upset about his...problem, why isn't he acting strange around Dan now?"

"Because I found a...'cure'."

Jazz jumped at the sound of the deep voice. Clockwork floated before her, his beard touching the edge of the book's binding.

"How?"

"I enlisted the help of a friend. He made Daniel forget his feelings. It was for the best. At the time, Daniel did not understand those feelings and they would do more harm than good."

The red-headed girl frowned. "I think that should have been his decision."

Clockwork smiled. "It was entirely his decision. He begged me."

"So, what happened afterwards?" Jazz looked at the journal in her hands. "Why doesn't Danny just look in here again and see what happened to him?"

"Daniel does not remember what he wrote, but he was warned that he begged for a memory to be removed and that said memory was in that journal. He knows that, should he read the journal, all those memories will come back."

"So, why not show him now?"

Clockwork frowned. "He knows it exists. It should be his decision when he opens it."

"So...what now? Why did I need to read this?"

"To reassure yourself. I am not forcing Daniel into something he does not want...he just doesn't know it, yet."

Jazz smiled weakly. She placed the journal on the bed and, with a wave of Clockwork's staff, the room was back to the way Jazz found it—messy. Jazz walked out and glanced back at Clockwork.

"Why Dan? If Danny was gay..."

"He's not."

Jazz turned around. "Sorry?"

Clockwork floated out of the room. "He's not really gay. He just...misses his other half."

"I...I don't..."

Jazz sat down on Danny's bed and Clockwork floated closer. "Daniel can still feel the draw Dan feels, but to a lesser extent. The fact is that Danny was complete with Sam...until Dan came about. The second Daniel met Dan, Daniel realized that there is a part of him that only Dan holds; it is the part of him that Daniel craves to be a part of again. Even though Daniel here is still whole, he can feel the same yearning Dan feels. He wasn't really gay. Have you ever heard of Aristophanes' theory on the soul mate?"

Jazz raised a brow, skeptical, "The one where soul mates were originally one body and sexless, but torn apart by Zeus?"

"You've almost got it right."

* * *

><p>Danny sat back in a tree branch, invisible, watching his older self take on Technus. The demonic ghost had taken on Danny's form and was currently owning ass. The advantage of knowing the future was clearly helping, but Dan was also amazed to see how crafty his other self was at attacking.<p>

If Technus tried to strike him with an ectobeam, Dan would use his ice powers to create a small blizzard in the form of a vortex to send the blast back at Technus. If Technus tried to bury Dan under out of date electronics, Dan would manipulate the temperature of the metal around Technus with his fire power, making the metal magnetic (Danny _knew_ he should have paid more attention in science class), and forcing the computers to attack Technus. Dan never wasted more energy than he needed and he made sure his opponent defeated himself.

After taking one last mouse to the face, Technus finally fell; Dan calmly walked up to the talkative ghost and sucked him up in the thermos, smirking up at Danny. With a roll of his eyes, Danny became visible again and applauded while he floated beside his other self.

"That's how you get it done, Danny boy," Dan grinned.

Danny chuckled and nodded, "I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed. I didn't think metal could do that."

"I met an Irish astronomy professor once. Nice guy, so instead of killing him right away, I let him teach me a few things. Never did get around to murdering him…"

Danny rolled his eyes again. "How unfortunate."

"Wanna know how I was going to kill him?"

"Not really," Danny grimaced, taking the thermos and floating into the air. Dan followed, still in Danny's form, and very clearly pouting. Danny didn't know why Dan was suddenly so eager to share this particular murder method, but he supposed—in the end—it was progress.

"I mean…I guess. If it's not too gross."

Dan, still wearing Danny's face, smiled so brilliantly that Danny wondered if he'd ever looked half as good as Dan did just then.

"I was going to make him eat Lucky Charms, then send him to space so he'd explode and Lucky Charms would come out."

They flew higher into the air as a crowd of humans came by and coasted on clouds towards the Fenton house. Around the third cloud, Danny finally replied.

"What?" he deadpanned.

"Well, Dr. Declan always said he wanted to die in space. I even asked if he meant being hurtled into a star or the sun or a black hole, but he said he didn't mind so long as he was in space. I figured a little teasing on his being Irish wouldn't matter much."

It was awful. It was terrible and awful and not at all hilarious, but Danny couldn't help laughing. Of all the twisted shit he knew his other half was capable of, he wanted to see an Irishman explode into Lucky Charms? Danny's laughing had forced the two ghosts to stop mid-flight, tears running down the boy's face. Dan changed back to himself and watched Danny with a small, amused smirk.

"You're incorrigible," Danny finally said, regaining some face.

"I don't know the meaning of the word," Dan casually threw back, "Race you to the lab!"

With that, the older ghost shot off in less than a nanosecond and, with an outraged cry, Danny followed soon after. It was only after they'd arrived with Dan as the victor that Danny realized he'd begun calling Dan his "other self" in his head.

* * *

><p>Jazz sat patiently in Danny's room, unafraid as Clockwork had frozen time still. Meanwhile, Clockwork floated across from her; he waved his hand and a wispy circle appeared above his head. At first, the circle was a cloud of black, but colors started to form and Jazz found herself looking at a strange, round creature. It had one head and two faces that faced away from each other; it was as round as a ball, and had genitalia. This particular one had two male genitalia. More round creatures appeared, some with two female genitalia or one of each or two male. The cloudy circle grew in size, showing their home, where a giant mountain stood proud in the distance. The creatures rolled around, almost grotesquely, and Jazz frowned.<p>

"In the beginning," Clockwork said quietly, "the gods created humans like this. These two creatures that were forever together were able to work with each other to move faster. It was, of course, natural for the humans to be attached to their other half, as it was physically impossible to be separated. However…"

The circle reflected a darkening sky as the humans rolled up the mountain.

"The humans became arrogant, believing they could take on the gods. Zeus decided to punish them, but they needed the humans alive for the sacrifices they offered the gods, which fed them. In the end, Zeus decided the best way to defeat them was to weaken them. He believed if he cut them in half, he'd cut their strength and speed in half. He told the other gods and enlisted Apollo's help; with his powerful bolts, Zeus cut every human in half and Apollo fixed them, moving their skin and head to face forward and giving humans a small hole in the middle to remind them of their punishment—that hole is what we now call the belly button."

Jazz stared as the circle creatures were suddenly brutalized, cut in half by shocks of lighting, writhing in despair and agony until Apollo came upon them and changed them, making the creatures look like the humans Jazz knew.

"Confused and hurt, the humans realized they were nothing without their other half. Those that were androgynies sought out people who were of a different gender than them. Those who were once paired with those of the same gender became what humans have labeled as homosexual.

The humans ran to those who were once their partners, hugging and pressing, hoping to be joined again. Unable to do so, they began to starve themselves to death. Zeus was once again displeased, as he needed the humans to sacrifice to the gods. Apollo was once again called upon; he moved the humans' genitals to the front where the hole reminding them of their curse was. Soon, these humans found a new way to be joined."

The red-head blushed fiercely as the creatures in the circle watched in awe as their genitals were moved, then began having enthusiastic sex.

"And so, humans have been this way ever since. Constantly searching for their once-partner," Clockwork concluded, dissipating the circle above him. Once Jazz's gaze settled on him again, Clockwork continued.

"Of course, that's not how humans were really made, but the myth does hold some merit. Humans are social beings who need completeness and tend to find it in another person once they've found it in themselves. Humans have deemed it pertinent to label sexual orientation, but the truth is that sexual orientation is a social construct and doesn't matter. Humans are missing a piece of their soul and are desperately looking for it. Their soul mate is their other half. _Daniel's_ soul mate is his other half. Literally."

Clockwork nodded at her and left in his portal. After some minutes of thinking, Jazz finally stood up and walked out of the room. It was then she noticed time had started again. Downstairs, she heard Dan yelling at them to wait. With a small, confused smile, she walked downstairs.

* * *

><p>Dan blinked then scowled. "Now wait a godda—!" And suddenly Dan was yelling at thin air; Jazz was gone from the den and Danny and his parents were still in the kitchen. He looked to the stairs, where Jazz was coming from upstairs.<p>

"What happened?" he asked hastily.

"Nothing," Jazz smiled, then walked to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Clockwork gazed at the three portals in front of him. One showed the past; Dan yelling at Jazz to tell him what she and Clockwork had discussed. One showed the present; Danny and Dan having raced to the Fenton lab, only for Dan win and declare himself king as Danny stared at Dan in a new light. One showed the future; Danny looking at the same portals Clockwork was looking at now, watching time go by with a vigilant eye. Beside him, tall and imposing, stood Dan, nodding to himself that all was well as he gazed on with Danny.

Clockwork smiled to himself, satisfied. Trouble was coming—and soon—but it was all for the sake of the time line.

And so time marches on…

* * *

><p>There you go. Sorry it's so short, but I wanted to get something out after all this time. I figured this was a good way to finish the chapter.<p> 


	4. Die

I tried to get this out in two or so weeks, but I failed. I apologize. I hope this makes up for it!

* * *

><p>Clockwork gazed at the three portals in front of him. One showed the past; Dan yelling at Jazz to tell him what she and Clockwork had discussed. One showed the present; Danny and Dan having raced to the Fenton lab, only for Dan win and declare himself king as Danny stared at Dan in a new light. One showed the future; Danny looking at the same portals Clockwork was looking at now, watching time go by with a vigilant eye. Beside him, tall and imposing, stood Dan, nodding to himself that all was well as he gazed on with Danny.<p>

Clockwork smiled to himself, satisfied. Trouble was coming—and soon—but it was all for the sake of the time line.

_And so time marches on…_

* * *

><p>Dan sat in the living room, glaring holes into Maddie Fenton; unperturbed, the matron of the house glared right back.<p>

The Debacle had begun three days ago. Maddie would notice that Danny would go to school, waving and throwing a quick "Bye!" behind his shoulder; she'd watch Dan wave back disinterestedly; Jazz would shake her head and mutter something to Dan; Dan would scoff and continue to ignore her, watching the murder channel; finally, Jazz would give up and go back to studying. Danny would arrive from school, shouting his hello's to everyone. Then, after a quick snack, the boys would disappear to train for a few hours and come back.

It seemed to work for everyone at home, but it occurred to Maddie that Dan's education stopped somewhere around his teenage years and, despite how mature he seemed to be, Dan deserved to reclaim some of his childhood.

Also, he tended to eat a lot when he was left home alone, and they really couldn't afford to do groceries every three days.

So, Maddie had suggested that Dan go to school with Danny, after confirming that Dan could change his appearance at will. Dan had immediately refused and, now, they were at an impasse in the living room.

"Young man," Maddie growled, "You will be going to school starting tomorrow. You should get an education now that you have a chance to."

"I had nothing better to do in those burnt remnants of cities other than read. Believe me, I don't need to go," Dan argued.

Maddie sighed. "This isn't up for debate, Dan. You're going to school. You need to learn how to re-socialize with other people."

"Oh, _c'mon_!"

Jazz, who stood by the staircase, silently laughed behind her hand. For a dangerous sociopath, Dan sure could whine. Just as Maddie was about to rebuke him, her phone rang. Reluctantly, Maddie looked at the caller ID and sighed. She began to walk to the kitchen, but she turned back, pointing at Dan warningly.

"When I come back, we'll be discussing the human form you're taking and buying your school clothes," she said, then walked to the kitchen.

With an exaggerated groan, Dan threw himself back onto the couch. "_Why_ do adults think _school _is the answer to everything?"

"Probably because you're eating us out of house and home. School is their excuse to not have to make you lunch," Jazz replied, sitting on the couch, beside Dan's head. "And you really should go."

"I'll hunt for food," was his reply.

"No, really," Jazz insisted, "Think of it this way; you'll get to see Danny and spend more time with him, in a public setting. You won't have to be super creepy and watch him invisibly."

Dan glared up at her. "When are you leaving again?"

"Sunday, unfortunately," she grinned, "Especially since you need so much help."

"Don't make me burn down your school."

"I could use the vacation."

"And your laptop."

Jazz frowned. "Don't you dare. My future dissertation is on that thing."

Dan raised a brow. "Aren't you, like, a sophomore? Why are you working on your dissertation in undergrad?"

The red-head shrugged. "Never hurts to be prepared."

Dan rolled his eyes and sat up; Jazz took the opportunity to scoot closer to Dan, patting his shoulder. "Really, Dan. I think mom is just worried you'll close yourself off again with no one in the house. Do this for her, or for me, or for Danny. Besides, how much fun would it be to wreak havoc at that school again?"

The ghost smirked.

* * *

><p>And so, "The Debacle," as Danny was now calling it, culminated on Friday morning—everyone in his family conveniently forgetting to tell him until the last minute—with a new student coming into their school for mid-year enrollment.<p>

All eyes in the room focused on the tall, muscular teenager standing beside Mr. Lancer. His skin was a flawless alabaster—an almost pallid white. Black hair, kept tastefully short and framing his face in cascades with one long, thick bang hanging in front of one eye, contrasted his ghostly white skin (i). He wore a blood red button down with an open black vest and loosened black tie. His dark jeans touched the tops of polished black oxford shoes. Stunning emerald eyes surveyed the entire room before landing on Danny, full pink lips pulling into a smirk once Danny realized he was being watched.

The halfa in question blanched. That was probably the least low-key disguise in the entire world. He could hear the girls in the class swooning helplessly in the face of this new Adonis.

"Class," Mr. Lancer finally interrupted the whispering, "As you all have probably realized, we have a new student joining us for the remainder of senior year."

"Well, hello," Dan drawled, "My name is…"

Dan glanced at Danny who was frantically, if somewhat discreetly, shaking his head 'no'. Dan resisted rolling his eyes; as if he'd be stupid enough to pick "Dan" again.

"My name is Ezra Bacchus," Dan smiled cryptically.

Danny gave him a confused, but satisfied look.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Bacchus," Lancer nodded, "Please tell us a bit about yourself."

Dan scoffed inwardly; human interaction was overrated. "I like to read, especially Milton and both Shelleys; I really enjoy dystopian literature."

Danny snorted. Figures.

"I work out during my free-time. I'm an exchange student from…"

Danny mouthed 'Canada.'

Dan glared. '_Canada_?' Dan telepathically demanded.

'You don't have an accent!' the teenager argued.

'Canadians have a freaking accent, too, idiot!' Dan rolled his eyes.

'Fine, pick Scotland or something!'

'Scotland is the ass of the world!'

Meanwhile, the rest of the class looked on curiously as the new student glared at Danny, who seemed to be glaring back.

"Uh, Mr. Bacchus?" Lancer prompted, "You were saying?"

"…I'm an exchange student from Australia. The Fenton's are being kind enough to let me stay with them."

"An exchange student?" Lancer raised a brow. "How odd. I didn't know we allowed an exchange program here."

"You normally don't," Dan conceded, "But seeing as how I'll be attending college in the States, my parents thought it would be prudent for me to get used to life here, to acclimate to the culture shock."

Lancer nodded; that was understandable. "Well, it's a pleasure to have you here. I hope you enjoy our school. There's a free seat beside Paulina. Please take your seat and we'll catch you up later."

Nodding, Dan walked towards it, shooting Danny a smirk as he passed. Danny, in reply, rolled his eyes. The ghost sat in his designated seat, valiantly ignoring Paulina's attempts at conversation. Instead, Dan focused on Lancer's lesson; even though he hadn't agreed at first, Dan didn't want to disappoint Maddie by not trying in school. He figured that the least he could do was get good grades.

Disguised red eyes inevitably landed on Danny's back. Their training sessions had gone well, so far—Danny was an avid student and a born leader. His mind was open to new ideas and adept at adapting to new situations quickly. Like Dan, Danny was a creative fighter and always sought to gain the advantage whenever he was lacking; unlike Dan, Danny didn't have the years and years of knowledge and experience that he would need to be able to handle those idiot Observers, among other ghosts. Though Clockwork made it seem effortless, Dan knew that handling chronokinesis powers took more stamina than Danny had right now. Satisfied that Danny would know how to defend himself—and, much as Dan hated them, Danny's friends would likely help him; or, hell, even his enemies seemed to help the ghost boy, nowadays—Dan decided the best thing to focus on from now on was stamina and endurance.

Unfortunately, that would mean attacking Danny with all Dan had, until Danny was past his limit. Although it would be helpful, Dan knew without a doubt that Danny's forgotten suspicions would immediately resurface and whatever small truce had been formed between the two would be lost. None of Danny's other foes would be able to challenge the halfa, though. For a brief moment, Dan wished Vlad was still around, but the thought was quickly banished.

Vlad Masters was a desperately lonely old man who lost the love of his life and knew that he would never be happy without those simple things that, admittedly, Jack Fenton sometimes took for granted. Dan didn't care for the right and wrong of the many crimes Vlad committed, but Dan could understand Vlad's need to be accepted by, if not Maddie, at least Danny. Danny's acceptance would've meant that the years Vlad spent in the hospital and building his fortune would not have been in vain—that losing Maddie would not have been in vain. But Dan knew Danny's inherit sense of justice, though incredibly sympathetic as Danny was, would not allow acceptance for someone who was so evil.

Dan frowned. That sort of desperation was dangerous; as he well knew, that desperation and sadness would eventually become anger and madness. Vlad's inadvertently isolating actions would lead to the deterioration of his mind, to the point that Vlad would no longer care for _anyone's_ acceptance and merely seek an outlet for his rage.

Dan would know best.

But Vlad was still a coward at heart; the entire world knew now who Vlad Masters _really_ was, and he dared not come back to earth. But then again, Dan sneered, Vlad was a semi-sociopathic space nomad whose sanity was likely diminishing. And Dan was not in the habit of waxing poetic about the inner workings of a being he hated.

Glancing back at an oblivious Danny, who raised his hand and answered a question correctly, Dan shook his head and hoped the bad feeling in his gut was simply a result of Jazz's pancakes.

It was a shaky hope; Jazz cooked better than Maddie.

* * *

><p>The entire table looked warily at the new student seated beside Danny. Dan stared impassively back at them, though the urge to bare his fangs was proving harder to resist than he thought. Sam, Tucker, Dash, and Kwan—who all sat on the other side of the table—looked as though they were seconds away from bolting. Danny sighed and decided he was going to have to break the silence.<p>

"I think we all know who he really is," he said.

"Why is he here?" Tucker asked instead.

Dan sneered, "According to Danny's mother, I need to learn to socialize again. She believes it will help in my rehabilitation."

"So, this is really happening? We're really going to trust this guy to train you, and you're gonna let him go free once he proves he can fake being nice?" Dash demanded, his fists clenched tightly.

Danny frowned. "Guys, think about it! If we just keep on assuming he can't be helped, it'll become true. Now that I think about it, if someone had just been more understanding to Plasmius, maybe he wouldn't have been so evil. D—" Danny coughed, catching himself, "_Ezra_ can be a good guy if we give him a chance."

"Yeah, no, it's cool," Dan muttered. "Talk about me like I'm not even here. Should I go invisible to make it easier?"

"With an attitude like that?" Sam glared, "He's hardly trying to socialize and be nice. You really think he's not just waiting for the second you drop the collar?"

A collar which, Dan found, was thankfully not visible in his human form. There were too many uncomfortable questions that could arise and would probably lead him to giving answers that would ruin his chances at being "social."

"Wouldn't you be more disturbed if he was being nice to you?" Danny reasoned. "Wouldn't we all? It'd be too fake—too much, too soon. At least this way, with his nasty attitude, I know he's trying. Because I know the old Dan wouldn't have bothered with only derisive comments—he'd have killed you by now, just for existing."

Danny looked at Dan for confirmation, perversely heated icy-blue eyes begging him to prove Danny right.

And how could Dan refuse? With an inner smirk, Dan realized that Danny's vehement defense of the former sociopathic murderer was progress. Perhaps not progress in the romantic sense, but it meant Danny was starting to believe Dan at his word and that Danny had personally begun to invest more in Dan. Dan was no longer a favor asked by Clockwork, or a means towards Danny's new destiny as the master of time; Dan was now Danny's _proof_. Where Danny had failed with Vlad, Danny had personally, _privately_, decided he would succeed with Dan. And if Dan helped Danny prove himself right, then Dan had everything to gain. His more suspicious friends would likely alienate themselves from Danny for his belief in Dan and, before they inevitably came crawling back with their apologies, Dan would be the one comforting and being a friend to Danny.

And, eventually, Dan would make himself so vital to Danny's psyche that Danny would think of no other option for Dan but to stay by Danny's side. Unlike Danny's friends, who will die; unlike Danny's family, who will die; unlike Danny's enemies, who won't even matter, Dan would _always be there_. Romantic or not, Danny would only have one person to rely on who would never, ever disappear.

And all Dan had to do to start them on this little path was say…

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead—_with or without this collar_. I don't have to like you. I just have to prove I won't kill you."

Danny's small smile, cautious though it was, was all the evidence Dan needed.

"The collar would stop you," Sam said with certainty.

Dan chuckled and leaned forward, "You think I can't figure out a way around this collar? You've seen me in action, Sam. Don't be so naïve."

Confused, Sam leaned back and frowned. "I-I've never really seen you fighting, actually."

"Actually," Dan's grin was wide and disturbing, "You have." His eyes became blood red again, and the other occupants of the table watched as red irises slowly slid towards the other ghost at the table.

And then it clicked. Sam's face turned ashen white. How could she have forgotten? Dan may have been his own, crazy, psychotic, _assholish_ person, but part of him had Danny in him. Part of him had that conniving sneak _Vlad_ in him. If there was anyone who could be more creative than Danny in getting out of a pinch, it was Dan. In fact, if Clockwork hadn't been the one watching over the thermos, there was no longer any doubt in Sam's mind that Dan would have escaped by now.

"The only _real_ deterrent in your favor is Danny," Dan scoffed. "Contrary to my so-called 'attitude,' I _do_ want to reform myself."

Tucker frowned, hand patting Sam's shoulder, "Why? And why should we believe you?"

Dan shrugged. "Killing is boring, nowadays. I may as well try being nice."

"That's it?" Kwan asked incredulously. "_That's_ all we have to go on? You're bored of _murdering_ _innocent people_, so you're going to try being nice? Is this all just a game to you?"

Danny's hands slammed on the table, startling the other inhabitants; in the same instant, the ghost boy turned the table intangible, and had the entire table drop to the basement. Privacy attained, Danny glared at his friends, emerald eyes piercing.

"What is _wrong _with you guys?!" he demanded. "Tucker, you _know_ why Dan is trying to change! Why don't you tell everyone?"

Abashed, Tucker looked away and muttered, "Because if he doesn't cooperate, he'll be erased from the timeline."

"Wait, what?" Sam asked, her inner activist rearing its head. "If Dan can't reform, he dies?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "If only. I don't even get that."

Danny sat down, glancing at Dan. "Actually…what does it mean when you're erased from time? Isn't it like dying?"

Dan scowled. "It's nothing like dying."

* * *

><p>546 days, Dan sighed, scratching another mark onto his rounded wall. Rolling his eyes, Dan figured today was another silent day in the thermos, forgotten by the Master of Time and by that blasted kid who got the better of him.<p>

"What do you intend to do with that human, Clockwork?" Dan heard. Blinking, he paid more attention to the voices—it was the first time he'd heard the Observers sound so…solemn. They usually sounded serious, sure, but also kind of pompous and whiny. This time, they just sounded resigned.

"This human would be disastrous to mankind. There is no alternate timeline that will change him; no matter how he is born, who his family is, or even where he is born, this human is a menace. His scale of terror far surpasses Hitler," Clockwork replied. "He cannot be allowed to exist."

"Hitler?" an Observer sighed. "Despite Frank's diary and the world-wide sympathy we'd hoped to garner for the Jewish, I still believe allowing Hitler to live was a mistake. For a human's destiny to be worse is unthinkable…"

"His death count is ten times more than Hitler's," Clockwork replied stoically.

Shocked silence followed.

"Is…is he worse than Danny Phantom?"

Clockwork sighed. "The difference between Dan Phantom—the one I assume you're referring to, as _Danny_ Phantom is progressing happily and toward a much brighter future—is that Dan Phantom was an option. He was a possible course Danny's life could have taken, but with a bit of intervention, was prevented. Dan also has the ability to be reformed, given enough effort and time. This human, however, cannot change. No amount of love, material possessions, or time will ever change this person's heart. Dan Phantom was undoubtedly evil and killed as many people as this human in his day—but Dan was a byproduct of his situation and his situation was neatly avoided when Danny Phantom fought him. This human, however, _cannot be redeemed_."

"What will you do, then?" an Observer asked.

"What must be done for the sake of time. I will erase him."

Silence followed again, but if Dan strained his ears hard enough, he could just barely make out the sounds of the Observers' tails wisp-ing away.

"Hear that, did you?" Clockwork asked.

Surprised that Clockwork was finally acknowledging him, Dan coughed. "I…what happens when you erase someone from the timeline?"

Clockwork's voice, uncharacteristically, held some emotion similar to sadness. "The person will cease to exist. Their entire timeline is gone; they were never born, never loved, and will never be missed."

"That's not so bad," Dan scoffed.

"Except for the fact that everyone I banish from time is sent to a dark space, not to be confused with interstellar space. This dark…area, for lack of a better word, is where they exist, cognizant of the fact that they could have been part of the timeline, but they were rejected. Eventually, memory fails them; they _know of_ taste, sight, sound, but they will never experience it again. Suicide is impossible, as is escape."

"That…sounds like hell," Dan whispered, his voice rough.

"It may as well be," Clockwork replied, voice full of authority again, "And there are times when these decisions must be made so that time can continue to march on unperturbed."

Dan swallowed thickly, unwilling to admit it—but he was officially scared shitless. The thermos was hell enough. Having to live in the dark with no chance for escape, always knowing that you could have been in the light but you were denied? He wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy.

Didn't the evil deserve death?

Either way, Dan decided, rubbing his goatee, he would not ever allow himself to be erased.

No matter what it took.

* * *

><p>"To die would be merciful. To be erased is the Christian equivalent of banishment from Heaven," Dan explained shortly. Red eyes shifted towards the other side of the table, the teenagers there flinching under Dan's gaze.<p>

"You want the truth? Fine. I don't want to be erased. I wouldn't even want that for Plasmius. If all I have to do is stop killing all of you and be _nice_ so I can stay in the timeline, so be it."

Sam exhaled a long breath. "Dan…I'm so sorry. We shouldn't have pried. But, you can understand how we didn't want to help you with so little to trust!"

Danny frowned. "That wasn't the point, Sam! You should have trusted _me_ to keep him in line!"

"We do trust you, Danny," Tucker huffed, agitated hands rubbing together, "It's _him_ we don't trust."

"And even if he doesn't want to get erased, we only have his word to go on," Dash retorted, trying to be reasonable. "What if he doesn't need to reform? What if he only needs to gain your trust, get you to remove the collar, and then kill you so no one can erase him?"

"We're just worried about you, Danny," Kwan said softly. "We don't want him to betray you."

Danny gritted his teeth. "I understand that, but you guys don't know him like I do. I'm asking you to trust _me_ and to help _me_ help him."

The table grew silent.

Dan raised his hand to his mouth, hiding his triumphant smirk. _3…2…1…_

"I…I just don't think I'm comfortable with that," Sam frowned sadly. The others nodded their assent. "I'm worried about you, Danny. Why does this mean so much to you?"

Danny stood up, disgusted. "Why can't you trust me enough? After all I've done for all of you, I think I deserve at least your support."

Dutifully, Dan put a hand on Danny's shoulder, coaxing the boy back into his seat. "Look, Danny, I hate to say it, but they're right."

Danny whipped around to glare at Dan, betrayed green eyes blazing. "_What?_"

"You've done more than enough to gain their trust," Dan placated, "But while you've spent a good week with me, they've only seen me twice; on both occasions, I'm pretty sure I threatened to kill them."

Danny relaxed minutely as the others watched on warily.

"How about we all spend time together?" Sam suggested cautiously. "If Danny is around with us when we hang out with you, Dan, we may feel more comfortable and start seeing what Danny obviously sees in you."

Inwardly gloating, Dan looked at Danny for permission.

"…Fine," Danny replied. "But none of you are participating in my training with Dan. He and I train alone."

Sam and Tucker gasped. "But, Danny!"

"Danny, we always train together on weekends!" Tucker cried.

"Not anymore. No one is more experienced than Dan and I don't want you guys getting in the way because you think he'll hurt me. I need his expertise. I appreciate all you've done, but we've plateaued. I need to get better."

Four pairs of hurt eyes glanced between Dan and Danny; Danny glared at the table, a small icicle forming where the halfa's eyes were trained. Dan discretely raised the table back to the cafeteria, making it seem as though Danny was doing it.

Dan's lips spread apart in a feral grin. The pieces were in place. By the end of the week, before Danny's friends' stupid consciences could make themselves known and they would apologize, Dan would have Danny begging for the older ghost to never leave.

For the first time in a long while, time was on _his _side.

* * *

><p>How many seconds had passed since he'd been there? Distantly, he thought he heard a song somewhere. 500,000 seconds, was it? No, it had to be more. Probably a good 500,005 seconds. And counting.<p>

There was nothing to do! But that wasn't _his_ fault. He didn't _want_ to leave but they'd _made _him.

A gaunt Vlad Plasmius looked at the shards of reflective ice circling Saturn. He certainly didn't want to look this way. But they told him to leave! All he ever wanted was for Maddie to love him. He thought he would need money, but it was never enough. Then Vlad realized what he'd done wrong.

He'd committed a sin and confused money for _power_. _Power_ kept the world spinning; _power_ belonged to few and trickled down slowly to the low-lives who wanted to taste it; _power_ was what Jack had, obviously. Some odd _power _that Jack used over Maddie to keep her within his clutches. So Vlad vied for _power_, but it had backfired somehow.

_And it was all Jack Fenton's fault!_ his mind raged. _As if having Maddie wasn't enough, he took Danny!_

Danny was a sweet, kind boy; Vlad could have been a good father, but Danny was blinded by Jack's _power_.

And then, Vlad looked into the sun and realized his true calling in life.

Jack Fenton had too much _power_; it was up to Vlad to release poor, sweet Maddie; to save darling, intelligent Jasmine; and to free sweet, kind Danny. Once they all saw all the _power_ Vlad possessed—once they all saw how much _better_ Vlad was than Jack, they would all fall to their knees and beg for Vlad's forgiveness and because Vlad was merciful, he would forgive them.

They would need to be punished for being disobedient, of course, but he would forgive them after a few lashings.

And if they ever became ungrateful…if they ever sought Jack Fenton…Vlad would simply have to teach them a lesson. He would have to beat them, or cut them, or rip their intestines out.

But he would do it out of love. Otherwise, they wouldn't learn.

Smiling at his benevolence—how happy the Fenton family would be to see Vlad coming to their rescue!—Vlad shakily flew towards the blue planet he once called home. It was time to set things straight with his wayward family. How could his wife betray him with that _idiot_ Jack Fenton? How could Danny look at Vlad, look at Jack, and even think he was _related_ to Jack? Didn't Danny see the resemblance between the two half ghosts? Practically opposite sides of the looking glass, they were. And poor, poor Jasmine—intelligent as she is, she must've realized that Vlad was their real father, but with all that _power_ Jack had, she was probably too scared to say anything all this time.

After their punishment, Vlad would show them real _power_. He would show them real mercy. He would show them real love.

He was God, after all.

* * *

><p>"Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do," Danny said as they walked home.<p>

'Ezra' glanced down at him. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"You think I can't tell when you're happy?" Danny smirked, albeit self-deprecatingly, "You planned this somehow. For some weird reason, you want us alone, and you're deliberately making it seem like my friends will leave me. I know they'll come around, so what is your endgame?"

Dan shrugged, impressed that Danny had seen through so much.

_However_, Dan thought, _This was also expected._

"What gave me away?"

"Your oddly benevolent suggestion. You want to spend more time with them? Really?"

Dan chuckled. "I figured I'd get brownie points if you spend your last year with your friends more often, as opposed to always training with me."

Danny frowned. "I'll still see them, even after this year."

"Yeah," the older ghost agreed, "But for how long?"

Dan continued to walk forward as Danny stopped, stricken blue eyes sightlessly staring forward. For the first time, Danny realized that though he would die before his friends, he would ironically out-live them. A lump formed in his throat when he realized the same would happen to his family. Everyone he cared about would die and _he would know when_ and be unable to stop it.

How could Danny cope with that? He was basically the grim reaper! What would he have left when all his friends and family were gone? Who was this companion slated to be with Danny for eternity? A family member? A friend? Could he condemn someone he loved to being a ghost, like him, forever, just because he was selfish? Would he have to play hero once more and be lonely for all of time?

"Oi!" someone called out to him. Danny's eyes refocused, and he looked at a glaring, human Dan. "Are you coming or not?"

"Dan," Danny whispered as he approached slowly. "If I don't erase you…what will you do?"

Dan glanced away, unwilling to allow Danny to see the absolute _joy_ in Dan's false green eyes. "I don't know. I'll really have nothing to do, since my timeline is gone. I suppose I'll just hang around and bother you. I don't _do _superhero-ing."

_No_, Danny realized, _Dan didn't._ Dan was content to be a wandering ghost, so long as he existed.

"So…you're not looking for true peace, like Clockwork?"

Dan scoffed. "I will never find true peace."

"Do you want it, though?" Danny persisted.

Dan rolled his eyes. "_No_, Danny, I don't want it. I like living, thanks, even if it's a hollow existence."

"And, since you'll be living…kinda…does that mean you'll stay near me? What with your…'primal urges'?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! _Yes_, Danny, I'm stuck with you if I stay in this timeline! I have nothing better to do but bother you and even if I _did_ shift to a new leaf, I _have _to stay close to you, or I go insane. Any existence is a good existence, even if I'm stuck by you forever! Happy now?!" Dan harrumphed and stormed ahead of Danny, never letting the younger boy see the crazed grin on his face.

_Even if it's an existence where you're chained to my side._ Danny thought. Guiltily, Danny realized that knowing that Dan was chained to him was comforting. His friends would die; his family would die; his enemies would fade away…

But, Dan would never leave him.

_And so time marches on…_

* * *

><p>Well, that escalated quickly. I hoped Vlad seems insane enough here. I'll try harder next chapter, but it's been a freaking year, so I'll just get this up now.<p>

(i) If you're wondering, I'm thinking similar to Minato Arisato's (Persona 3) hairstyle.


	5. Grim

So, basically, this will be the chapter that people either love or hate. I sincerely hope it is not the latter.

* * *

><p><em>No<em>, Danny realized, _Dan didn't._ Dan was content to be a wandering ghost, so long as he existed.

"So…you're not looking for true peace, like Clockwork?"

Dan scoffed. "I will never find true peace."

"Do you want it, though?" Danny persisted.

Dan rolled his eyes. "_No_, Danny, I don't want it. I like living, thanks, even if it's a hollow existence."

"And, since you'll be living…kinda…does that mean you'll stay near me? What with your…'primal urges'?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! _Yes_, Danny, I'm stuck with you if I stay in this timeline! I have nothing better to do but bother you and even if I _did_ shift to a new leaf, I _have _to stay close to you, or I go insane. Any existence is a good existence, even if I'm stuck by you forever! Happy now?!" Dan harrumphed and stormed ahead of Danny, never letting the younger boy see the crazed grin on his face.

_Even if it's an existence where you're chained to my side._ Danny thought. Guiltily, Danny realized that knowing that Dan was chained to him was comforting. His friends would die; his family would die; his enemies would fade away…

But, Dan would never leave him.

_And so time marches on…_

* * *

><p>"Dan, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Maddie asked, sad eyes pleading.<p>

Since Jazz was leaving again soon, the family had decided to go out to dinner and enjoy themselves; really, it was an attempt to spend time together, now that they knew Danny would be leaving them soon, too. Jazz, though, was content to be the excuse for the evening and didn't once mention it. As the rest of the family put on their formal clothes and got ready, Maddie realized that Dan hadn't moved from the kitchen table.

Something had been bothering Dan all day, she noticed; so much so, he hadn't even realized everyone bustling around him.

"I'd rather not," Dan replied, trying to be polite, "I…don't feel well."

"Can ghosts get sick?" Jack asked.

Danny's brows furrowed. "_He_ can't. What's really going on, Dan?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Fine. I have a bad feeling and I'd rather stay home and cover for you if anything happens."

"Cover for me?"

"Go enjoy your time with your family." Dan shrugged. "I'm not really ready for all that anyway."

Reluctantly, Maddie sighed and nodded. "If that's what you want, Dan. Promise me you'll call us if your bad feeling has some merit."

Dan saluted at her and watched the family go.

Truthfully, Dan could have gone for some free food—_Danny freaking Fenton_ wouldn't let him just terrorize a restaurant into giving him free service—but the bad feeling he'd been having all day persisted and Dan knew better than to ignore his instincts. Besides, if it led to Danny thinking Dan was considerate for giving Danny a day off from being a hero, then all the better.

"Making progress?" a deep voice inquired.

Red smoke escaped Dan's nose. "Clockwork. Nice of you to drop by."

A smirk crossed Clockwork's wrinkle-lined mouth. "Why aren't you with them?"

"What do you know?" Dan asked instead, turning around to face the master of time. "I've got the worst feeling in my gut that something is going down soon. You ought to know, right?"

Clockwork shrugged indifferently. "Of course I know. I know everything."

"Don't boast," Dan chided, "Tell me."

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Despite popular belief, I don't orchestrate things so that Daniel's life is better."

Dan merely raised a brow.

Eventually, Clockwork scoffed. "Fine—maybe I do. I'll give you a clue. You weren't musing this morning for fun."

And with the usual hands of the clock spiriting Clockwork away, he was gone. Dan stared at the spot where Clockwork was, processing Clockwork's supposed clue.

"Musing this morning for fun?" he muttered to himself. "I never—"

_Vlad Masters was a desperately lonely old man._

_Vlad. Masters_.

"_Shit_!" Dan cursed, jumping to his feet. He immediately phased through the ceiling, to the Fenton early-warning system on the roof. With practiced ease, Dan turn on the machine—long left alone since Danny was a more efficient warning system—and punched in the coordinates of the last known location of Vlad Plasmius.

The section of space that the video feed provided was empty and black. There was no sign of him. Dan closed the search-by coordinates window, choosing instead to search by risk factor. After taking a quick glance at the risk evaluation guide, Dan searched for Level Alpha threats.

The highest level.

Fangs punctured dead lips as the computer's alarm went wild, identifying a threat that surpassed Level Alpha—and it was heading toward Amityville. The only silver lining was that the threat was moving pathetically slow and was not apparently heading toward the Fenton house; the threat seemed to be moving toward Tucker's old mansion, which he lived in while he was the mayor.

"I see you've found him."

Dan turned towards Clockwork, frowning. "This is not the kind of shit I need when I'm trying to get Danny on his knees."

Clockwork gave him an unimpressed look. "Please, I think that comment of yours was entirely too polite. You can be more crass with me, if it would make you more comfortable."

Dan returned the look. "Any way you'll give me a timeline?"

"Absolutely not. However, you and Daniel should be prepared tonight."

"He's attacking _tonight_?"

Clockwork scoffed. "I just told you I wasn't giving you a timeline. Tonight, you and Daniel will be accompanying me on a field trip. Certain…events have forced me to begin training Daniel earlier than I'd hoped."

"Vlad is fucking you over, too, isn't he?" Dan smirked.

Clockwork's expression was cryptic. "If only."

"What's more trouble than Vlad?"

"The Observers."

Dan leaned against the console, watching as the Fenton car pulled into the driveway. Were they already done with their dinner? Dan hadn't realized it had taken so much time to boot everything up again. "What's up their asses now?"

"What _isn't_?" Clockwork sneered, a rare display of annoyance, "Now that they know of my upcoming death, they're looking for their own suitable replacement. They don't agree Daniel would be a good candidate. I agreed to let them pick someone who would be tested against Daniel, and so Daniel must be up to snuff."

"Shouldn't you have seen that coming?"

"I _did_. They'll be approaching me about this in a few weeks."

Dan frowned. "Where does that leave me if Danny fails?"

Clockwork's face was grim.

"_Great_."

"Here you are, Dan! Clockwork?" Danny's voice filtered through the air as the ghost boy rose in through the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"Circumstances have changed, Daniel. Your training begins now," Clockwork replied. Green eyes swung to Dan, who shrugged.

"So…what are we going to…?" Danny trailed.

"We're going on a field trip!" Dan grinned falsely.

"To where? I already have the Infi-Map," Danny raised a brow, "So I know where everything is."

"It's not where that's important," Clockwork replied. "It's who we're meeting." Clockwork waved his staff and a portal appeared. Unlike the usual green swirls of the ghost zone, the aura the portal emitted was darker…more sinister.

"Are you sure _where_ isn't important?" Dan asked, looking at the portal skeptically.

"Of course. After all, we're merely guests," Clockwork chuckled, shoving the two reluctant ghosts in. The Fenton ghosts screamed as they fell, the portal mysteriously long—most of Clockwork's portals were instantaneous and never went _down_.

"Are we going to hell?!" Dan shouted, trying desperately to get his bearings.

The boys landed in a heap abruptly on a hard, heated ground. Danny groaned, but got up easily, having fallen on Dan. Casting a sympathetic eye towards the older ghost, Danny was satisfied to find nothing immediately wrong and offered his hand. With an annoyed grunt, Dan grabbed the hand and ended up pulling Danny right back on top of him.

"You know," Dan's amused voice filled the cavern a moment later, "When you offer to help me up, usually you do so knowing you can _actually help me up_."

"Oh, shut up," Danny moaned, burning face hidden against Dan's broad chest.

Another amused snort escaped Dan, then he was on his feet, helping Danny right himself. Finally, they glanced around.

"Holy shit," they whispered simultaneously.

Emerald flames licked the walls, a river of lava and fire coursed through the wide cavern, and pained screams echoed all around them. An opulent castle, black and menacing, stood erect in the distance. Finally, Clockwork floated beside them, admiring the view.

"Lovely, isn't it?" he remarked.

"What the fuck is this?" Dan demanded.

"You said it yourself, Dan," Clockwork smirked. "Welcome to hell."

* * *

><p>Being able to fly had its advantages; they reached the castle in no time, and were welcomed by skeletal guards. The castle was magnificent inside as well, though the décor was definitely murder-tastic. Blood oozed down the walls; tortured souls could be heard behind heavily bolted doors; and the throne room was large, but Spartan. The room only contained two thrones—the one on the left was a winged, black seat with blood red cushions, a scythe resting against it innocently. The right one was slightly smaller, with—of all things—pink cushions; the <em>Necronomicon<em> lay innocently on the seat of the throne.

"We're in fucking hell," Dan said, the seventh time he'd repeated it.

"Ohmigawdohmigawdohmigawd…" Danny mumbled, his mantra becoming more and more indistinguishable. Clockwork floated beside them, serene.

"_Clockwork_, _is dat you_?" a heavily accented voice—Jamaican?—asked from seemingly everywhere.

"Grim, I had to come see you," Clockwork replied, a smile on his face.

"_Grim?"_ the other ghosts mouthed, looking at each other.

Suddenly, a swirl of black appeared before them; black tendrils separated and floated down, becoming a flowing fabric, the edges of which touched bony—literally bony—toes. Red and green eyes trailed up the tall, broad-shouldered figure.

And stopped short at the smiling skull on top of those shoulders.

"_Holy shit,_" Danny squeaked.

"_The Grim Reaper_," Dan breathed, eyes wide.

"Grim is just fine," the skull replied, and the ghosts could see a green tongue wagging between white teeth.

"Daniel," Clockwork interjected as their faces became more horrified, "This is the Grim Reaper, as you've ascertained. While I have the power to erase people from the timeline, when it is time for someone to die, that is Grim's jurisdiction. Grim, this is Daniel Fenton, the one who I hope will succeed me as the Master of Time. This is Dan Phantom, his alternate future self who is trying to reform."

"A pleasure," Grim nodded at them. Danny, mouth agape, nodded back. Dan, however, regained control of his nervous system.

"Uh, nice to meet you. I guess you and I should be pretty well acquainted, huh?" Dan tried for a smile, but it looked like more of a grimace.

Grim laughed, the sound the very definition of evil; Danny doubted Dan ever sounded like that.

"Yes, I suppose you and I have done some work together in de past, albeit wit'out your knowledge."

"Not to be rude, but why are we here?" Danny finally managed.

"As I said, circumstances have forced me to begin training you right away. Combat and such…that's Dan's job. But you must know the ins and outs of being the Master of Time and, though it may seem that I do the job alone, the opposite is true. I am _only_ the Master of Time, after all."

"So, Danny," Grim sat back, lounging on his throne, "When de time comes for a human—or what have you—to die, Clockwork and I work together to decide when de human shall die."

Danny blanched. "That means…I have to choose when they'll die…?" _I'll have to choose when my family dies?_

Grim laughed again. "No, no, Danny. _I_ choose when and how dey die. Clockwork merely cooperates wit me, man."

Dan raised a brow. "So, how does this collaboration work?"

"As I'm sure you know, dere is more den one possible way a person's life can go," Grim looked pointedly from Dan to Danny, "And so, dere are many different ways dey can live or die. I decide when de time has come for a creature to die; Clockwork tells me de many paths a person's life can take; I decide de deaths for each of de paths; then, finally, de creature chooses dey path and, in some ways, dey death."

"Does…Does Clockwork know how you plan to have them die?" Danny asked.

"Never, man," the reaper scoffed, "Death is not his jurisdiction."

"Nor is it my place to judge," Clockwork supplied.

"So, how come some people who are awful die peaceful deaths and people who are good die awful deaths?" Dan questioned.

Grim shrugged. "Why would you change your ways when life has given you all it has to offer? Why bother being a better person when being a monster is easier? Dey walk willingly into dey comfortable little jail rooms and I leave de door wide open for dem. Dey live dey lives in that jail cell, dey see no reason to leave."

Grim looked at his guests, empty eyes engulfing their souls, voice heavy with implications.

"Den I _shut_ de door."

Danny shivered, unconsciously ambling closer to Dan. Dan pressed a hand to Danny's shoulder, anchoring the younger ghost. Grim was still staring at them, as if he was planning _their_ deaths…

_Oh._

"You know how Danny dies," Dan muttered, eyes wide with realization. "You've already planned it out."

Grim's toothy grin spread across his pallid face. "I planned it _years_ ago, man. I take pride in me job."

Danny blanched. "I think…I think I need to get home."

"Unfortunately, Danny, you'll be staying." Clockwork smiled unsympathetically, "We'll be having dinner with the Grim family. You have an aversion to death that must be overcome if you're to actually accept being the Master of Time. As such, I hope spending time with Grim and his lovely wife will help you see that Death is not evil."

Dan and Danny frowned, doubt prevalent in their expressions.

"No, children," Grim said, standing. "Death is not evil. Death is release; death is repentance; death is _justice_. I enjoy me job, but I'm not inherently evil."

The Grim Reaper chuckled.

"If you want evil, _dat_ would be me wife."

* * *

><p>Danny glanced around awkwardly as he sat in his seat at the long, ornate table; his gaze shifted to Dan—the older ghost had apparently already gotten used to their grotesque settings and was examining the China on the table. Clockwork sat on the other side of the table, an empty chair to his right. Danny assumed that was the chair for Grim's wife. Danny was still nervous, especially since the Grim Reaper seemed to imply his wife was scarier than him. Just as he considered making another excuse to return home, the doors to the dining room banged open, a figure silhouetted in the green light.<p>

Danny swallowed.

As the woman—judging by the voluptuous figure—approached, Dan and Danny's jaws dropped. The longhaired blonde was dressed in a tight, all black dress that reached her thighs with black heels. There was a single black headband in her hair, though what it was holding back was a mystery; her bangs were free, framing her heart-shaped face. Despite her seductive figure, there was something empty and awful in her red eyes; the thick, black eyebrows she had seemed to be permanently furrowed, making her eyes look even more sharp and frightening. She walked with an easy grace, but even Dan could admit that her entire being radiated authority—this was not a woman to mess with.

Grim stood from his chair at the head of the table, and pulled out a chair for her; she fell into it majestically, steepled her fingers, and rested her chin delicately on her hands. Her gaze, even more jarring and piercing when focused, locked onto Dan and Danny.

"Guests, I presume?" she asked, her voice low and melodic.

Grim smiled. "Meet Danny Fenton and his alternate future other half, Dan Phantom. Clockwork hopes dat de boy will be de new Master of Time. He is here to get over his fear of death."

Grim glanced at the frozen ghosts. "How rude of me. Allow me to introduce me wife—Mandy."

"Pleased to meet you," she said, her voice dead.

"T-The pleasure is ours, ma'am," Danny replied shakily. Dan nodded.

The meal was served quickly after that, throngs of servants hurriedly running in and out to serve the King and Queen of Death. Though skeptical at first, Danny found he liked the food, and was able to relax enough to eat a few bites. However, the table was entirely silent. Other than the sounds of eating, no one dared to speak. Not even Dan found the nerve to make an off-color joke.

Not when Mandy's piercing gaze could fall on them.

"Am I making you two nervous?" she finally asked, making both ghosts jump a little in their seats.

"Ah, uhm, no!" Danny stuttered. "I'm just…I feel weird. This isn't what I imagined death to be…"

Dan smiled, managing—just—to not make it shaky. "I'm here for moral support."

"And doing a terrible job, I see," Mandy stated bluntly. "But that's understandable. I'm surprised you boys haven't run out screaming yet. Only the extremely brave and the extremely stupid are usually able to stay."

Grim smirked. "Take that as a compliment boys; she didn't imply you two were the latter, after all."

"A-Are you evil, Mrs. Grim?" Danny managed to ask after a beat of silence.

Mandy's porcelain face never twitched from the perpetually permanent frown she wore.

"I appreciate your manners, but I prefer 'Mandy.'"

Danny gulped and nodded.

"To answer your question, Danny—yes. I am evil."

"Why?"

Mandy sat back and crossed her legs. "Because I simply am. I was born that way, frankly. And, since Clockwork obviously never erased my existence, I was meant to be that way. It brings me joy to see others suffer. So, I tempt them; suggestions here, whispers there. I tell people what they need to hear so they'll be evil like me."

"No one does it better den me wife, mind you," Grim smirked.

"I thought you said death wasn't evil?" Dan frowned.

"I am not," Grim replied.

"Death is not evil. Death is release; death is repentance; death is _justice_," Mandy interjected, echoing her husband. "But people have free will, Danny. They choose the way they die; they choose whether or not they die as noble people. They choose to follow my whispers—I can never force anyone to be evil. It's not as much fun that way."

"Why are you two married then?" Danny glanced between the King and Queen of Death.

"Why? What do ye tink fuels most of me deaths, man?" Grim chuckled. "_Evil_ people, _evil _intentions." Grim's hollow gaze landed on Dan. "Isn't that right, man?"

Dan smirked and shrugged when Danny gave him a disapproving glare.

"We're married because we have similar interests," Mandy said. "I enjoy being evil and bringing people to their gruesome end. Grim enjoys enforcing his powers and ending the lives of mortals. More evil people; more people dead."

"D-Don't you love each other?" Danny whispered.

Mandy and Grim glanced at each other; then, Grim broke into raucous laughter, clutching his stomach. Mandy's expression didn't change, but there seemed to be a slightly lighter aura around the frightening woman—as if she were amused.

"We are _evil_ and _death_, Danny," Mandy stared at the young halfa. "We don't know anything about love; that's why we're in hell. That's why we're most equipped to rule over hell. We don't have sympathy for other creatures or feel affection for each other."

"What we feel is intense hatred for each other, man," Grim clarified. "We see de usefulness in each other, and we are a united front to the other Realms of Darkness. We only respect power, child."

"And seeing as how Grim and I have power in spades, the best thing to do was get married and bring out the worst in each other. Besides, why get rid of someone as useful as the Grim Reaper when I can just own him?"

Danny looked at them, back and forth, slowly growing horrified at the implications. "Are…I mean…is this what I'll be as Master of Time? I won't have any meaningful relationships anymore?"

Frowning, Dan quickly placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. The frightened and anxious halfa glanced up at Dan, desperate eyes wide and pleading. With an internal groan—his first meeting with death and evil and Dan was going to fuck up his evil image thanks to _Danny Freaking Fenton_—Dan slowly wrapped Danny in a cautious, awkward hug. Refusing to say anything, Dan hoped the gesture would be enough to calm Danny down.

And, much to Danny's growing frustration, it did. Danny's guilt had never quite abided since their talk; knowing that Dan was chained to Danny for eternity meant that Danny would never be alone. And, despite their vast differences, Danny could see a little of himself in Dan. Beyond the sociopath; beyond the sadist; beyond all the crazy, Danny could see hints of a good person in Dan. The goodness was warped and torn and nearly beyond repair, but Dan had a spark in him that Danny could grow attached to.

Especially if Danny was the only one privy to Dan's momentary shows of affection and kindness.

Deciding he felt better, Danny briefly returned the hug and pulled away, smiling up at a grumbling Dan. "Thank you. I feel better."

"Thanks for making me look like I care about you in front of my idols, asshole," was Dan's reply.

Danny laughed. "I'll make it up to you."

Clockwork saw fit to interrupt, then. "Daniel. Dan. Touching though all that may be—" Dan huffed, "—we are here for more than dinner."

Dan sighed. "Much as I hate to say it, the old man over there is right. Danny, I know this is scary; I know death and evil go way against your hero code. But just like you, they chose to do the thing that makes them most happy. Mandy enjoys being the Ice Queen and Grim enjoys offing people; you can't judge them, because I know you don't understand them. And they're not asking you to understand; they're asking you to accept them and let them do their job so that the world can keep spinning. At the core of it, they're just like you and me."

Danny's brows furrowed. "One: you're a murdering, sociopathic sadist. I think they're more like _you_. Two: how are they _anything_ like me?"

"Mom! Dad!" a voice called.

Surprised, both ghosts turned towards the sound. At the entrance of the dining room stood two small figures. One was a boy, apparently. He had a round, white head with a tuft of brown hair on top; the majority of his head was covered by the black hoodie he wore. Matching black pants and running shoes covered the rest of his body. The boy was painfully normal—except for the fact that his head was a skull and, it seemed, that skull had one human-looking eye in the left socket. Clutching the arm of the boy was a girl who looked about the same age. Her blonde hair stuck up oddly at the sides and the purple dress she wore was disturbingly short; especially considering that the sleeves covering her dainty hands were almost longer than the dress. The visible skin the girl showed looked as though it was sown together carefully, like a doll's. On her feet were cute, black Mary Jane shoes. Like the boy, only her right eye socket actually contained an eye; her other socket was eerily empty.

"It is a pleasure to make of our guests, the acquaintance of those with such high worth," the girl said, curtsying.

The boy rolled his one eye. "What she said. Mom, Dad, can you tell Minnie to stop sneaking into my bed at night?"

Mandy huffed. "Minnie, you know better. You two were supposed to be in bed. I already told you we were having guests tonight and were not to be disturbed."

"_Minnie_ is the only one disturbing people!" the boy said in defense.

The girl in question blushed and looked away. "My only intent, in fair Luna's light, 'twas to spend this eve in my most loved's arms."

"W-Why does everything you say sound perverted!?"

"I suppose further introductions are in order, den," Grim shrugged. He turned to the two catatonic ghosts. "Danny Fenton, Dan Phantom, meet me children—Grim Jr. and MiniMandy. We call them Junior and Minnie for short."

"Danny Fenton?" Junior smiled. "You mean _the _Danny _Phantom_? The superhero?" Junior seemed to look at Danny properly now, grinning gleefully. "Wow, I've heard so much about you! You're the coolest!"

"Indeed, tales of your heroics are told, and have been regaled in the Castle Grim," Minnie nodded, smiling at the ghosts. "We've also heard of your evil other, the dread villain known by all: Dan Phantom. Pleased was mother, when to her charms Dan fell."

If she could have, Mandy would have smirked. Dan coughed, choosing to look anywhere but at the matriarch of the castle. Danny gave him a quick glance, looking between Dan and Mandy; eventually, the halfa frowned at the insinuations and turned back to the kids.

"_Your_ children?" Danny asked. "Why do they…?"

"Look so different?" Mandy interjected. "Circumstances, I'm afraid, which are much too heavy a topic to get into now. Essentially, Minnie used to look much like me, but she had a near death experience in Halloween Town and needed a new body."

"Since den, de children have been close," Grim said with a disinterested air.

Dan watched as Minnie further snuggled herself onto her brother; Junior groaned, but didn't stop her. "How close exactly _are_ they?"

Mandy snorted. "Exceedingly."

Dan snorted and Danny blushed, both looking at the possessive grip Minnie had on Junior's arm with new understanding.

Junior ran up to Danny, dragging a willing Minnie along. Even with one eye empty, Danny could see the clear admiration shining in Junior's gaze. With a small smile of his own, Danny felt a little more comfortable.

"I think it's super cool that you can go between the ghost zone and the human realm!" the skeleton boy grinned. "How did you get your powers? How did you stop Dan Phantom? How is Dan Phantom here with you now?"

"Uh, well, I don't mind telling you if your parents aren't mad at you for being out of bed," Danny replied.

"Oh, please, most belovéd parents of ours! Fie on the sands of time that drain away; pray, pause those grains, that we may hear their tales!"

Grim chuckled. "Of course, princess. You and your brother may spend time with our guests, if your mother has no objections."

"Mom, _please_!" Junior begged with a large smile. "We never get any guests that aren't scared of you! I promise I'll pay more attention to Ms. Helga for a _week_!"

"For a _year_," Mandy bargained. "And you'll be putting more effort in your combat lessons and your Nergal practice with Minnie. Understand?"

"Yes, mom!" Junior cheered. "This is so cool! C'mon, you have to see my room! Minnie, grab Dan!"

With that, Junior's bony fingers latched onto Danny's wrist and pulled, forcing Danny to run just to keep up with the hyperactive child. More relaxed, Minnie held out a hand for Dan to take; with a sigh, Dan accepted, allowed her to lead him to her brother's room. Clockwork, Grim, and Mandy remained in the dining room, watching them go. When at last Junior's loud voice quieted and Dan's heavy steps echoed away, the remaining members of the family Grim turned towards Clockwork as one.

"This was quite last minute, Clockwork," Mandy said, displeasure evident in her tone. "Pray tell, why did you suddenly ask us to reschedule this little soirée we planned for six _months_ from now?"

"The Observers will be interfering in a few weeks time. I apologize, Mandy, but my own schedule has been similarly screwed over. With Vlad's return, the Observers will be paying more attention to my own fate and will decide they don't want Daniel to be the Master of Time. I know who they plan on asking and I can't have that happen."

Grim raised an invisible brow. "Who do dey plan on asking, man?"

Clockwork scowled. "Walker."

Mandy's eyes widened. "Walker? Did you say _Walker_?"

"Dat crazy ghost who tinks he's a Texas Ranger and imprisons every ghost he can?" Grim demanded.

"Yes, _Walker_. They like how…by-the-book he is. The Observers, for all their watching, are extremely blind."

Mandy scowled. "We can't allow that psychopath to take over. He'll try to shut us down."

"He won't settle for dey deaths," Grim frowned. "He'll just erase everyone who gets in his way."

"Precisely," Clockwork sighed. "There's no way we can allow that. Do I have your full support, then, in training Danny?"

"What are you needin', man?" the reaper asked.

"Danny needs stamina training, but I know Dan is reluctant to do so. Whatever new found relationship they have, Dan knows it will be compromised if he attacks Danny with everything he's got. That's where you two come in."

Grim chuckled. "I see. So, you want us to push him beyond his limits?"

"In that case, we'll start with the children," Mandy said, and even her mouth quirked up into a smirk. "They should be more than enough for Danny, as he is now."

* * *

><p>"And that's why Dan is with me now," Danny smiled, finishing his story.<p>

The small group sat on Junior's king-sized bed, at the boy's insistence. Once Junior realized that his skeletal features were disturbing Danny, Junior used his strange powers to make himself look more human. Danny, feeling bad that the boy was so considerate, assured Junior that Danny preferred the skeleton to the flesh, and Junior excitedly returned to normal.

If anything, Danny realized there were many more powers out there that he was unaware of.

Once they all sat on the enormous bed—Minnie making a point to sit on her brother's lap, forcing Junior to rest his chin on her shoulder—Junior and Minnie listened rapturously to Danny's tale. And, emboldened by their attention, Danny told them everything: the first time he got his powers; his adventures with Sam and Tucker; the many ghosts he battled; his problems with high school; his battle with Dan (and Dan, of course, interjected a few times during this story); his boredom since he'd saved the world from Vlad; Clockwork's proposal; and Dan's return. Thrilled though they seemed, not once did the children interrupt.

"That is so awesome!" Junior cried. "What's the human realm like?"

Danny smiled sympathetically. Years of developed paranoia forced Danny to train himself to notice little details. Junior's room was full of skateboards, baseballs, and other human objects. It was clear that Junior's fascination with the living realm was more than a passing trend.

"You really wanna go there, don't you, Junior?" Danny asked.

Junior sighed, looking away. "I didn't _ask_ to be the Prince of Death. I just wanna do stuff that normal kids do. My dad got to go to the human realm. He got to stay there for a while when my mom was a kid."

"He knew your mom when she was a kid?" Dan grimaced.

"Mother was once a young, spritely maiden. Even at mine age, she was Beelzebub. A terror was she to all those she met. She fooled the dread Grim into slavery. She ruled her town with fists cast in iron. Though belovéd mother's thread was severed, he found himself unwilling to claim her. Their hatred began with their first meeting. That hatred has sustained them for so long, my father realized they must be one."

Danny raised a brow. "Uh…?"

"She's saying that my mom tricked my dad into being her slave when she was, like, eight. They hated each other right away, but my dad respected my mom. Even that young, my mom was a basically evil incarnate. My dad decided not to claim her soul, though her sands of life were definitely out. Instead, my mom became immortal. So, my mom took over her town and was about to take over the world, but dad proposed to her. He told her that her only choices were to marry him or to die. Mom decided to marry him, and they've been together ever since. I know they say they don't love each other, but they really respect and watch out for each other," Junior smiled softly. "And they really watch out for us."

"Even the most blackened soul knows of love," Minnie beamed, cuddling her brother. "Deny they may; Venus made two souls whole."

Danny blushed, smiling at the cuddling children, understanding washing over him. Though their parents seemed cold and unfeeling, Junior and Minnie seemed convinced that Grim and Mandy loved each other and their children.

"Maybe they're not as bad as they think they are," Danny shrugged.

"They probably are," Dan replied, laughing. "But it works for them."

Danny frowned at Dan. "So…you're acquainted with Mandy?"

"In a sense, I suppose," Dan muttered. "I don't know her personally, but apparently, she's the one who suggested I go on a murdering spree."

"Oh," Danny blinked. "_Oh_!"

"Oh?" Dan raised a brow.

"N-Nothing!" Danny pouted, drawing his knees to his chest. "I just misunderstood…"

"Misunderstood what?" Dan scowled. "Care to share with the class?"

Junior giggled. "He thought my mom knew you in the biblical sense."

Danny flushed violently, head whipping around to stare at Junior. "_What the hell_! I thought you were _ten_! How do you know _anything_ about that?!"

Junior had the audacity to look at Danny like _Danny_ was the idiot. "I'm the child of Evil and Death. When we don't have guests, my mom runs around half naked. My sister has a very obvious, incestuous crush on me and sneaks into my bed on a regular basis. I live in Hell and go to the nine circles when I have time for a vacation. You think I haven't been to the second circle by now?"

Danny looked at Dan pleadingly. Much to his chagrin, Dan only stared back.

"You thought I slept with their mom?" he finally asked, to Danny's growing embarrassment.

"The way 'twas worded worried poor Phantom; he loves you best and feared you unfaithful. Fear not, dear champion—though your love's not pure, 'twas you your lover craved most in this world," Minnie smiled encouragingly.

Unfortunately, it only served to kick Danny's dead heart into overdrive. "_What?!_ M-My _love_? My _L-L-LOVER_?! What are you two even saying!?" he cried, voice high-pitched.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit_. Dan thought. Danny was nowhere near accepting that they could be together in more than a friendly sense just yet.

"S-She's basically talking Shakespeare!" Dan defended. "A-And Shakespeare is known for being especially _friendly_ towards guys in his sonnets. That was a different time, when the most meaningful relationship a guy could have was with another guy and girls were just for making babies. Calm down, Danny."

After taking a few deep breaths, Danny forced his racing heart to slow. The ghost boy mulled over what Dan had said and, finding some of it to be logical, allowed a shaky smile. "Y-You're right. Sorry I freaked out there."

Dan nodded briskly and turned to the kids, berating them for embarrassing Danny and implying things they shouldn't be. The children merely laughed gleefully. Danny watched them argue, content with letting Dan plead their case.

_I'm not exactly qualified to do so, after all_, Danny thought ruefully. The halfa couldn't deny that, when it was implied that Mandy and Dan knew each other a little too well, Danny had become extremely jealous. Admittedly, Danny didn't fool himself into thinking Dan had stayed a virgin or anything. Not that Danny was gay, but even he could admit that Dan was extremely attractive. When the murdering ghost turned up the charm, Danny figured not many could resist. It just hurt to know that there might be someone in the current timeline who knew Dan better than Danny did.

Their last week together was more than drills and training. During their breaks, Dan and Danny had talked—deep talks. Chats about video games, girls, and food eventually became conversations about life, death, and forgiveness. Dan admitted things to Danny that the halfa knew Dan would never trust _anyone_ with. It made Danny feel special.

Especially more so when Danny realized that Dan would always be chained to Danny. When there would be no one else, they would have each other.

So, for someone to know Dan as well as Danny did meant that Dan had someone _other_ than Danny to turn to. Danny knew Dan wasn't being literal about being chained to Danny's side. They could go a couple days without seeing each other before Dan's urges became too much to bear and the older ghost would appear and latch onto Danny. That meant Dan could leave whenever he wanted and just teleport back to Danny when the need arose. The rest of the time Dan could spend with someone equally as ruthless and evil as him.

Danny sighed. _Even if they're married, Mandy doesn't exactly seem faithful. There's no way MiniMandy is Grim's daughter. And I bet Dan would have no qualms about being with Mandy, even if she is married. Why wouldn't he prefer evil incarnate to me?_

_W-Wait a minute_, Danny's cheeks reddened as he thought about the implications. _Why am I so worried about Dan's love life?! It shouldn't matter to me who he screws! He'll still be around to hang out! I don't…I mean…I'm not gay!_

"DANNY!" someone shouted, shocking the half ghost out of his reverie.

"W-What?! Is something wrong?"

Dan gave him a skeptical look. "I've been calling you for five minutes. You were spacing out so badly, I thought you got lost in your head. Now then, I haven't dropped the subject and the kids went to get us ice cream. Care to answer me? Why were you so passive aggressive earlier? Not that I did, but _so what_ if I slept with their mom?"

"I-I…" Danny mumbled. "Don't you like her?"

Dan blinked.

And then it clicked.

_He's jealous_, Dan realized, working mightily to keep the crazed grin off his face. _The selfish little punk, he doesn't want me anywhere near Mandy_.

_Better give him what he wants, then._ Dan thought with amusement. _Danny never did do well with jealousy. He'll just end up pissing her off_.

"You did notice that she has _the most_ emasculating gaze in the world, right?" Dan smirked. "Trying to sleep with her is like signing a death warrant. Probably why Grim is married to her. He doesn't have to worry about living through the experience."

Despite himself, Danny smiled. "I guess I was just worried that you'd…want to stay with Mandy. I-It's wrong to cheat and I don't want you disappointing Junior and Minnie."

_Nice cover_, Dan snorted mentally.

"Don't worry. I much prefer you over Mandy."

Danny started, glancing at Dan nervously. "W-What do you mean by that?"

Dan seemed unperturbed. "I prefer your company over hers. She may be evil, but you're more fun to hang around. I prefer people who have more than one facial expression."

"P-People?" Danny echoed.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Danny, I don't know what your malfunction is, but get it through your head—so long as the world doesn't end, you are pretty much stuck with me for eternity. Yours is the only company I find enjoyable. If I go to hang out somewhere, it'll probably be because you've gone out. I'm all yours, ghost boy."

Danny hid his face against his knees, trying to ignore the bright red of his cheeks and the large grin on his lips. "All mine, huh?"

"All _yours_. No homo."

"R-Right. No homo."

From the doorway, Minnie and Junior watched, the ice cream in their hands slowly melting. Junior turned to Minnie with a mischievous smile.

"Should we help them out?" he whispered.

"Even in death, true love will prevail. But death is here, and still they are not one. Mayhap they are in need of our guidance. Dearest brother, let us draw the bow's string; may we aim true, that two souls become one," she replied quietly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

_And so time marches on..._

* * *

><p>Fun fact: Minnie speaks in iambic pentameter the entire chapter.<p>

And, for those of you who aren't familiar, Grim and Mandy are from "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" and Junior and Minnie are original characters from "Grim Tales from Down Below" on Snafu Comics. My rendition is before the "What About Mimi" arc, which I didn't particularly care for.

Like I said, this is gonna be a chapter people will either love or hate. The inclusion of these characters from the Snafu comics was something I debated for a long time, but in the end, I went for it. I hope you guys like it too. I don't usually ask for reviews, but I would appreciate criticism on this chapter to see how well I incorporated the family Grim. If I get enough negative reviews, I suppose I'll redo the chapter.

But I honestly _really like_ this chapter.


	6. Schrodinger's Cat

So, I got some fantastic reviews concerning the last chapter, which made me immensely happy. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. In response to some reviews:

Sorry, but no. I won't be touching the "What About Mimi" Arc—one, it's not done yet and I hate making up stuff for something I'm currently invested in; two, I didn't like Mimi all that much anyway (which may stem from my Junior/Minnie bias). Maybe I'll like her later.

Kimori Takahashi asked if there would be future "lime" scenes. Yes, this story is mature for a reason. As KT and I agreed, Dan is a very sexual character. This story isn't going to engage in sex, but it will definitely get hot and heavy.

And I really cannot thank you guys enough for all the support I got after Chapter 5. It was a limb that was not planned on at all—in my notes, I briefly considered mentioning Grim and I had stumbled upon "Grim Tales from Down Below" entirely by accident just before finishing Chapter 5. After that, I completely reworked the chapter, and I'm glad to see it was to good effect. Thanks again. I promise to thank people a little more personally after life calms down a bit. I applied for the JET Programme and have been basically dying to hear whether or not I'm on the short list.

* * *

><p>From the doorway, Minnie and Junior watched, the ice cream in their hands slowly melting. Junior turned to Minnie with a mischievous smile.<p>

"Should we help them out?" he whispered.

"Even in death, true love will prevail. But death is here, and still they are not one. Mayhap they are in need of our guidance. Dearest brother, let us draw the bow's string; may we aim true, that two souls become one," she replied quietly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

><p>"So, the theory of Schrodinger's cat is that, within the box, the possibilities of the cat being alive and dead exist at the same time; it is only once we've looked into the box that reality collapses and that we are forced to see the cat as either alive or dead," Lancer explained to a class that was only half listening.<p>

Danny had long since learned to make a copy of himself—intangible and invisible—that would sit in Danny's lectures and listen to the lessons for him. Danny would still retain the information, while being able to think on other matters or (most often) run off to fight ghosts. And the last three days had definitely merited the down time.

Their first visit to hell certainly wasn't their last; Dan and Danny visited every evening, well after midnight, so that Maddie wouldn't catch on. None of them had forgotten that she forbade Danny's training during his last year of school, but once Danny had been informed that the Observers planned to ask _Walker_ to be the new Master of Time, Danny knew it was inevitable. Since then, Danny and Dan spent their evenings playing games with Junior and Minnie, which always left Danny more and more exhausted—especially since Dan preferred to stay on Minnie and Junior's team. Danny had begun to suspect that their games were actually a twisted form of training for him, what with their games forcing Danny to newer and more extreme heights with his powers.

Blue eyes glanced at "Erza," watching the supposed teenager engage in lively banter with Paulina. Danny frowned; Dan had been keeping a secret of his own from Danny as well, leading Danny to think there was more to their problem than just the Observers. But Dan had so far refused to even divulge a hint, and Danny had long ago learned that guessing would get him nowhere.

Jazz had already returned to her college, periodically calling to check on both Dan and Danny. She insisted it was only to remind them that she was there to talk, but she seemed to spend more time on the phone with Dan and their conversations would always leave Dan in a huff.

Then there was _the touching_.

It started off innocently enough—a hand on the shoulder here, a pat on the head there—but suddenly Danny got the feeling that Dan wasn't being honest concerning those touches, either. Danny would notice the contact would last much longer than just a friendly brushing or a comforting hand. When they walked through the Castle Grim, Dan's hand would land on the small of Danny's back, leading the younger ghost through the castle. It would have been nice—if it weren't a distinctly possessive action. Or there would be times when Dan's hand would cup the side of Danny's face—usually with a good enough excuse, like Danny having been hit particularly harshly during training or because there was something on Danny's face. But then, Dan would check Danny's face and his hand would linger; sometimes his hands even caressed Danny's face, ever so gently, so that Danny would think he imagined the whole thing.

The staring was distracting. Dan had a bad habit of staring at Danny—especially in class—and it was becoming noticeable to Danny and anyone else with (or without) functioning eyes. Danny would frequently catch the older ghost, only for Dan to smirk and _keep on staring_. It was unnerving, to say the least. Even more so, because Danny was starting to think he didn't exactly _mind_ the attention.

Despite all his odd quirks, Dan had been invaluable as a teacher. Danny's combat and leadership skills were rapidly improving, to the point that Dan's training sessions had less to do with the physical manifestations of their powers and more with their growing friendship. Sam, Tucker, Dash, and Kwan had yet to apologize—though both Danny and Dan knew that they would eventually come around—so Danny found himself spending more time getting to know his alternate future self. Between homework and spars, Danny found out that Dan liked the sunset ("I love the blood red color"), that he preferred vegetables to meat ("Processed meat is _so_ bad for you…"), and that Dan listened to classical music ("Especially arias; they're so haunting. Ha, get it?"). In return, Danny had confided in Dan things that he'd never told anyone, not even Sam. Danny had told Dan about the week when Danny had gone to the ghost zone to hunt down a fight and ended up spending his time with Ember; the time Danny had scared girls into not pursuing him so that Danny would have some modicum of peace after he'd been ousted as Danny Phantom; and the time Danny had been actively considering suicide, if only so that he could leave his mundane human life behind and just be Danny Phantom forever.

Their closeness should have been bothering Danny, but the young halfa found that he didn't mind having a confidant in Dan. Unlike his other friends, who'd immediately start wondering what was wrong with Danny and what they needed to fix, Dan never judged him. Danny had expected to get a lecture from Dan about valuing his life and how suicide wasn't the answer; instead, Dan understood Danny's feelings and offered him comforting silence.

The bell rang and all the students jumped out of their seats, rushing to the hallways. Danny took his time, catching Sam's regretful glance as she passed by. Dan clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder, making Danny pause.

"Yeah, Ezra?" he asked.

Dan grinned. "Paulina invited us to eat with her. I appreciate your trying to get me acclimated after our first disastrous introduction to your other friends,"—their excuse for disappearing during lunch these last few days, Danny remembered—"but Paulina is cool. Would you mind?"

"Nah, that's fine. Let's go," Danny shrugged, following the pair.

Probably the most frustrating aspect of their new friendship was Danny's newfound possessiveness. Danny was nothing if not honest to himself, now, so when he first experienced that familiar tightening in his chest and the involuntary grind of his teeth, Danny's only real conundrum was trying to figure out why he was jealous. Dan was allowed to have other friends, after all (that was the whole point of going to high school, in fact), but Danny still felt as though Dan should only be a close friend to Danny. Only Danny could _truly_ understand Dan and only Dan could _truly_ understand Danny. Anyone else seemed threatening to their fragile, but immediate, bond.

Danny originally thought he wouldn't have much to fear from Paulina, but apparently, their mutual love for themselves drove Dan and Paulina's friendship.

"So, what do you put on your hands to make them so soft?" Dan asked, grabbing his lunch tray.

"You wouldn't believe what I have to do to make them this way!" Paulina gushed, following him. "Papi makes me wash the dishes, so I have to make sure to use extra-strength lotion for really dry skin, because soap just does horrible things to you."

Dan pouted. "I completely sympathize. Danny's mom makes me clean the bathroom when she's particularly annoyed with me, and my hands get so dry."

Danny rolled his eyes, trailing behind the two. "To be fair, you did set the lab on fire."

"I was conducting an important experiment."

"You were trying to toast bread because the toaster in the kitchen was occupied."

Paulina giggled. "You two argue like a married couple."

Danny's face flushed red and Paulina smirked at him. In the years since his revealing, Paulina's affections had gone from stalkerish to cordial. Though they never spoke to each other on a regular basis—Sam and Paulina's legendary hatred for each other had never abated, after all—they shared friendly greetings in the hallway and weren't opposed to working together. Still, Danny was convinced Paulina (and most girls) had a secret that made her more attuned to the inner workings of boys. Whenever Paulina's sharp gaze fell on him, Danny always felt exposed.

"So, where are we sitting?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

Paulina allowed it. "At the tree. Since you stole my old cronies, Star and I tend to eat there nowadays. Not that she'll be joining us today—poor thing is sick."

She smiled good-naturedly, taking the bite out of her comment. Danny smiled back, shrugging. "I hope she gets better soon. And, I think you can take them back, if you want," he joked.

"Oh, no. I'm doing much better without. Why are they suddenly shunning you, though, Ghost Boy?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "They're not so much shunning Danny as they are me."

Danny scowled. "They don't like my…_association_ with Ezra and have made it perfectly clear. They'll get over it soon, but in the meantime, I'm certainly not going to beg them for companionship."

"I agree," Paulina nodded sagely, smiling thankfully as Dan held the door open for her. "They need to let you make new friends and explore your options. You don't have to marry Sam like they all want."

Danny smirked, handing his lunch tray to Dan; he took the blanket Paulina was carrying under her arm and spread it on the ground for them. "Does that mean I should be marrying you?"

"Don't be coy, Danny," she laughed as she took her seat. "_I'm_ okay with your being bi. You should be able to date Ezra if you want."

Danny, who was lowering himself to the ground, lost his footing and fell down. "E-Excuse me?!"

Dan guffawed as he sat down next to Danny, handing the boy back his tray. "Careful there, Danny-boy."

Danny glared at him, then rounded back on Paulina. "What makes you think we're _dating_?"

Paulina quirked an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? You two aren't exactly subtle about it. Why do you think I quit hitting on Ezra on the first day? He was _obviously_ only interested in you. And, from what I'm seeing, you're only interested in him."

"I'm not!" Danny insisted, cheeks red, "We're just good friends."

"We're a little bit dating, Danny," Dan shrugged, smirking.

"We are not!"

The Latina giggled. "Oh, Danny. You're so in denial. It's kind of cute. So, if it's not because you're dating, why _are_ they shunning Ezra?"

Danny came up short; he hadn't thought of an excuse for that, figuring that no one else would care. Despite their cordiality, it's not as though he and Paulina talked often. Before Dan, Danny never had a reason to talk to someone who was outside of the group. Thankfully, Dan took pity on him.

"You're partially right, chica. They don't like Danny spending all his time with me," Dan replied, frowning. "Danny and I became pretty quick friends and I know all his training habits, since we live together. So, they're peeved I'm putting in my own little suggestions for his superhero-ing. They think 'Team Phantom' is the world's most exclusive club."

Paulina rolled her eyes. "Geez, Danny. I know they're your friends and they've been there for everything, but they're kind of selfish."

Danny raised a brow. "Really? Coming from you? No offense."

"None taken," Paulina waved amicably, "But, coming from me? _Yes_, really. I know selfishness like the back of my hand—I excel at it. I can see very well when other people are being selfish. I know they probably don't mean to, but it is really cool and special to be part of a team and to be friends with a famous superhero. Remember how desperate Star got when I started hanging out with you? She started dating Tucker and everything. And Kwan attached himself to Sam. When people lose what they're used to and what they cherish, they get defensive."

"Wow, Paulina," Danny huffed out a laugh. "You are surprisingly wise about all this."

Pauline smirked. "Just because I'm a class-A bitch doesn't mean I'm an airhead. That's such an old stereotype, Danny. Get with the times."

"I'll try to remember that," Danny smiled.

"So, what, did you guys not used to be as friendly as you are now?" Dan asked, sounding genuinely curious. Paulina launched into the tale of their freshman year with gusto, leaving Danny to his thoughts.

Was Paulina actually right? Danny frowned; he didn't think he and Dan seemed like much of a couple, but then, Mandy and Grim were _married_. As much as he and Dan got along—especially with the rest of the group still ignoring them—Danny supposed he could see why Paulina would think he and Dan were getting closer than most people. But Danny was having trouble seeing how his association with Dan had been bad so far. Besides the initial rocks they'd had to traverse when Dan was released, Dan had been nothing but (his version of) cordial. He treated the Fenton family with some modicum of kindness; he was especially close to Jazz, if those phone calls were any indications; and he never judged Danny and was an invaluable listener. Although it was the beginning of the year, Danny had already been thinking of the companion he'd be allowed, and he was sort of shocked to realize that he was hoping his companion would be Dan. Sure, the physical aspect of a relationship would be stunted and absent—Danny wasn't gay, thank you very much—but the rest would be there. Everything he craved in a relationship with Sam, Dan was able to provide for Danny.

Danny blanched—what did it say about Danny that he seriously compared his _heterosexual, romantic_ relationship with Sam to his _completely and utterly platonic _relationship with his _alternate future self_? Danny groaned, utterly confused and—

"Ow!" Danny cried, rubbing his head. He glared at Dan, who smiled innocently in reply.

"Are you back with the living, Danny?" the older ghost asked. "The nice lady asked you a question."

"Uh, sorry, Paulina," Danny shook his head, turning to the laughing girl. "What did you say?"

"I _asked_ if you were thinking of getting back together with that Goth chick of yours, but I think I have my answer."

For someone with inherent ice powers, his cheeks were constantly on fire nowadays. "Sam and I are better off as friends," he recited. "Why do you ask?"

"Because she's staring at you pretty hardcore with that scrunchy expression she gets whenever she's jealous," Paulina said, pointing at Sam.

Sure enough, Danny turned to see Sam—along with Tucker, Kwan, and Dash—watching Danny, Dan, and Paulina from afar. Sam, in particular, had an expression Danny was all-too-familiar with. He sighed dejectedly.

"That's not her jealous face. That's her I-think-something-is-wrong-with-you-and-I'm-gonna-corner-you-and-tell-you-over-and-over-until-you-agree face," the ghost boy groaned.

"Well, all that means is we don't let her corner you," Dan scoffed. "You _do_ have ghost powers, right? Or have I confused you with someone else?"

"Sam can be persistent when she wants to be," Danny sighed. "She'll probably catch us at home."

"Then come to my place," Paulina smirked, raising a brow in good humor. "She'll probably be too scared of getting infected with my prep disease to come anywhere near it."

"I'm down with that," Dan said before Danny could get a word in, "And I totally want to spend time with you rather than steal your magical lotions."

As Dan and Paulina mock-fought over her skin moisturizers, Danny glanced back at the table with his friends. They were no longer looking in his direction, but Danny could tell by their hunched shoulders and drawn-together heads that they were discussing how to approach their newfound problem. Danny had hoped they'd come to their senses, what with the weekend giving them some time away from each other, but it was already Tuesday and there seemed to be no progress on that front. With a sigh, Danny figured the safest place to hide out probably _was_ Paulina's house.

"Sounds good," he announced, interrupting the vanity club, "I've only ever been to your place once, anyway."

"Oh, yeah! That disastrous date!" Paulina laughed. "I should have held onto you rather than give you back to the Goth."

Dan pouted. "You should have. I probably could've stolen all your moisturizers much more easily if he was dating you."

"When did you get so obsessed with having smooth skin?" Danny asked, deadpan.

"I've always been obsessed with looking amazing," Dan replied, turning up his nose. "You just don't pay enough attention to me."

"Uh-oh," Paulina teased, "You're going to have to buy Ezra some serious jewelry to make up for being a bad boyfriend, Danny!"

"I prefer diamonds, thank you," Dan didn't miss a beat.

Danny grinned. "I'll bear that in mind for our one-month anniversary."

"Be sure to skip the paper anniversary, Danny. This is a fourteen-carat mistake," the Latina said.

As they laughed, Danny realized that Dan's first week as a non-sociopathic murderer was through.

_Maybe I should get him an anniversary gift after all…_

* * *

><p>The bell rung, always obnoxiously loud, and Dan and Danny followed a strutting Paulina to the curb. Unlike the other plebeians, Paulina didn't have to walk home or take a bus. As soon as she stepped up to the edge of the sidewalk, a black car rolled up. Clearly used to it, Paulina opened the door and greeted her father, explaining about her houseguests for the evening. With a suspicious glare—especially at Danny (which amused Dan endlessly)—Mr. Sanchez allowed for Dan and Danny to also enter the car in the backseat. As they waited for the car to pull away from the school, Dan spotted Sam and the others standing by the entrance, with varying expressions on their faces, but all of those expressions fixed on the car he and Danny occupied. Tucker, Dan could see, was slowly becoming disillusioned with being separated from Danny; Dan figured it meant Tucker was slowly seeing Dan's reform and was less convinced with whatever violent fantasies their combined paranoia had concocted. Kwan looked worried, but stood closer to Tucker—possibly, Dan assumed, because Kwan was leaning towards agreeing with Tucker instead of Sam. Dash and Sam stood close together, glaring at Dan; they presented a united front and were likely the reason Danny's group of friends had held out so long. Dan could see the anger melding with confusion and shock on Sam's face; she very much wanted to talk to Danny, probably, and maybe even offer to get to know Dan better, but she was probably feeling betrayed by Danny choosing to spend time with Paulina. Dan could see it clearly: Danny had already rankled their close relationship by choosing Dan over his friends (a victory Dan would forever bask in). Now, Danny was spending time with Paulina, whom Sam likely refused to acknowledge was a human being. Dan scoffed.<p>

As much as Sam accused Paulina of being shallow, Sam sure was blind to her own limiting prejudices.

Then again, like most of the world, there was a part of Sam that likely didn't want to let go of the past. Now that everyone knew who Danny was, it wasn't a sacred secret between Sam and her only two close friends. The novelty of "Danny Phantom" had long worn off and now Sam was left alone, to wonder at what her own accomplishments were in the intervening years—which, of course, were none, Dan thought with a nasty smile. Some tiny part of Dan actually sympathized for Sam (likely the part from Danny); after all, the girl _had_ dedicated years of her life to Danny and his secret and, of the three of them, she was the only one who was never acknowledged for her work. All she ever had was their friendship and closeness and, now, that was slowly dissipating—in the form of Dash and Kwan, in the form of Paulina, and in the form of Dan, who all took more and more of Danny and left Sam to realize that the staunch humanist of the group had chosen to live her life for someone else.

Unless someone actually looked at her, Sam didn't exist. Tucker Foley had his name etched in history as the youngest mayor of Amity Park (and, indeed, the whole of the United States). Daniel Fenton was Amity Park's own ghost hero, who saved the world on countless occasions with a smile and an encouraging speech. A freaking statue of his likeness was in every capital of the world, for crying out loud. Samantha Manson? She was the cat in the box, existing in two opposite states until someone cared to look at her; the way things were going, it seemed Sam realized less and less people were going to.

"I can practically _hear_ you thinking," Danny whispered with a smile. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Exactly how cheap do you think I am, Danny?" the sociopath retorted.

"Put me on layaway. What were you thinking so seriously about?"

Dan shrugged. "Just thinking about how we got to this point."

"Seems like we're all doing a lot of thinking lately," Danny sighed, glancing away. "I feel like I've been trapped in my head for days."

Dan smirked. "Not much of a thinker, eh Danny-boy?"

Danny shoved him, careful to make sure Mr. Sanchez didn't see them. "Shut up; you know what I mean. There's so much to think about that I feel like I'm not _doing_ anything. I don't feel prepared at all to take over and now we've got this Walker business hanging over our heads. Sam and the others are being difficult for—apparently—the fun of it and I can't stop thinking about…"

Dan raised a brow when Danny didn't continue. "About…?" he prompted.

Danny bit his lip. "About the person who's gonna be my companion when I become the master of time."

"What _about_ them?"

"I…" Danny's cheeks flushed ever so slightly. "I have an idea of who I'd like to be, despite it being so soon, but I feel bad condemning anyone to being my companion for eternity."

"Or however long you decide you want to be in power, anyway," Dan corrected flippantly.

"What?"

The disguised ghost frowned. "Did you not know that? I mean, it's obvious. Clockwork doesn't want to be the master of time, so he's pawning it off to you. You'll enjoy it for a few centuries, maybe even millennia if your companion is up to snuff, but eventually you'll give it up, too, right? Did you think you'd be the ghost of time forever?"

Danny nodded dumbly, prompting an eye roll from Dan.

"No, _genius_. Time, like space, is infinite. Even you, with your disgustingly hero-like qualities couldn't stand it for that long. Eventually, you will decide to pass it on, like Clockwork is passing on the mantle to you."

Danny cocked his head to the side. "So…what of my companion? What happens to them when I pass on to true death?"

Dan shrugged again. "They pass on also, I assume. You'll have to take that up with Grim, to be honest."

Still, the ghost boy's countenance was confused. "What if…what if my companion doesn't _want_ to pass on?"

Dan glanced at him. "…Like me?"

Danny's back became ramrod straight and the younger ghost suddenly found the window incredibly interesting. Dan grinned.

"Let's _say_ you pick me as your companion," Dan began, pretending to be oblivious to the tension in Danny's shoulders. "And I don't want to pass on. I assume I have three options…no, two."

Danny glanced back at the correction.

"One: I pass on whether I want to or not, because there is no guarantee the next master of time is gonna want me around. Two: I remain in the realm and either continue to be a companion, or I just wander around the ghost zone like a regular ghost."

"What was option three?"

"Option three doesn't exist for me," Dan replied quietly.

Danny swallowed. "Why not?"

"Option three is reincarnation," the sociopath said, staring into Danny's blue eyes.

"R-Reincarnation?"

"Seriously, do you not listen in Ghost 101?" Dan smirked weakly. "Reincarnation, yes. If Grim, Clockwork, and a third impartial party agree, a ghost can be brought back in a new body."

"Third party?"

"_Impartial_ third party," Dan nodded. "Usually someone very removed from the realms dealing with death."

"Who?"

"Couldn't tell you."

Danny was quiet for a second. Then—"So…why would it not apply to you?"

Dan chuckled. "As if anyone would willingly allow a sociopathic serial killer to be reincarnated. Besides, I may be me, but I am two different souls melded together. The two halves would likely reunite with their original bearers, and I'd no longer exist as myself."

Knowing that, how could Danny ask Dan to exist with him when Danny became master of time? The risk that Dan could cease to exist—something Dan very much craved—was high. Perhaps Danny could hold out for a few millennia, but Dan was right; after a while, even a long while, Danny would crave a true death of his own and want to pass on. How could he be selfish enough to give Dan an uncertain future? Even if Dan's future were to still be uncertain, at least as a free ghost, Dan could come and go as he pleased and not worry about being tied to the clock tower. Danny sighed; _maybe I should let Clockwork know I'll be better off alone._

"But don't go martyring yourself just yet," Dan suddenly said, grinning. "If you leave, I leave. Don't sweat the details."

"W-Why?" Danny choked.

Dan's eyes were going to disappear into his head at this rate. "_Obviously_, I can't exist sanely unless you exist. If you leave, those 'primal urges' we talked about will take over and I'll revert to that thing I was the first time we separated. I'd rather be wiped from existence than lose my mind. It's the sexiest thing about me."

Danny let out a startled laugh. "I…really?"

Dan pouted. "Yes, _really_. Didn't you hear? Brains are the new black."

The halfa slapped a hand over his mouth, desperately trying to keep his laughter contained, lest they interrupt Paulina and her father's conversation. When he finally calmed down, he tried speaking again.

"So…if I leave, you'll go insane? Why doesn't any of this apply to Vlad?"

Dan _shuddered_, almost throwing Danny back into hysterics. "_Vlad_? That guy's picture is next to the definition of 'creepy' in the Oxford Dictionary. I suppose if I were closer to Vlad, the same would apply."

Suddenly, Danny didn't feel like laughing; he felt sick.

"But, I've been much more in contact with you than I have been with Vlad, even before this whole business with Clockwork, so the half of me that feels most complete is the half coming from you. If Vlad got near me, maybe I might feel a slight pull, but not to the degree I feel with you."

Choosing to ignore the reasons why, Danny smiled, a glowing feeling in his chest. He cleared his throat awkwardly, but the smile would not recede. "Good. I mean, that's good."

Dan raised a brow.

"I'd rather have you on my side than his, is all," Danny continued, flustered.

"Sure, Danny. Whatever you say."

_And so time marches on..._

* * *

><p>Sorry this took so long and that this chapter is shorter than I wanted it to be. There was so much backstory here, I decided to stop it. Continuing from here in this chapter felt disjointed to me, so we'll visit Paulina's house next chapter. As always, thanks for the love!<p> 


	7. Gaze

I can't tell you how much reviews motivate and excite me to write more and to write better. I got an entire slew of reviews from Winter's Twilight, and immediately started to write this chapter after I noticed s/he was going to review every chapter. I know not everyone has much to say, and I generally try not to fish for reviews, but they really make a person's day.

Thanks to all the other reviewers as well; I'm glad no one was terribly confused by my use of quantum physics in the last chapter—that, along with the inclusion of Paulina, was something I was a bit worried about. But no one's claiming to hate Paulina so far, so yeah.

Onward.

(As for last chapter not ending in "And so time marches on…", that was a mistake of mine that has been rectified.)

* * *

><p>"But, I've been much more in contact with you than I have been with Vlad, even before this whole business with Clockwork, so the half of me that feels most complete is the half coming from you. If Vlad got near me, maybe I might feel a slight pull, but not to the degree I feel with you."<p>

Choosing to ignore the reasons why, Danny smiled, a glowing feeling in his chest. He cleared his throat awkwardly, but the smile would not recede. "Good. I mean, that's good."

Dan raised a brow.

"I'd rather have you on my side than his, is all," Danny continued, flustered.

"Sure, Danny. Whatever you say."

_And so time marches on…_

* * *

><p>"<em>Mi casa es su casa<em>," Paulina announced as they walked into her large room. She twirled around and smiled at them. "Well? What do you think? Pretty chic, no?"

Danny whistled; the room was easily the size of the Fenton living room, with a walk-in closet to boot. Contrary to what the halfa might have once believed, the room was not the Guinness World Record holder for the largest gathering of pink things in an enclosed space. The room was a mix of deep browns and greens—surprisingly earthly colors for a girl who didn't care how many holes her hair spray was burning into the o-zone layer. Against the wall was a queen-sized bed; cabinets lined the walls where the closet was; and a book shelf filled to the brim with books stood against the wall with a small balcony.

"Wow, I didn't take you for much of a literature enthusiast," Danny said bluntly.

"College is coming up, Danny," Paulina explained, "and I've found that I'm good at certain things when I try."

"Like what?" Dan asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Like math," the Latina replied flippantly.

Danny grinned. "Yeah?"

"Yes! I think I could be a mathematician or a secret agent."

Dan grabbed at a book at random, flipped to a page, and smirked. "What is 198449351 to the third power?"

Paulina scoffed. "You're joking, right? It's obviously 78153 61098 83809 42419 90551. Duh."

Danny and Dan wore matching expressions of incredulity.

"Holy shit," Dan finally muttered, glancing between Paulina and the textbook. "I think you got that right."

"Of course I did," Paulina huffed. "I _told_ you I was good at math."

"Paulina," Danny laughed, still somewhat shocked, "There's being good at math and then there's being a genius! I didn't know you had it in you! You could've…"

Paulina cocked her head. "Could have what, Ghost Boy?"

Danny pursed his lips. "You could've helped us. When we were saving the world from the Disasteroid. Do you know how much quicker everything would've been done if you'd been on the team with a mind like that? Even Valerie helped, and she's got some serious skills, but not like that."

Paulina shrugged, looking insecure for the first time since Danny met her. "Who would've taken me seriously back then? I did everything I could to play up the 'air-headed popular girl' shtick."

"Why?"

"I like attention," Paulina muttered. "No one in my family gave me attention, but then I grew into my hips and boys started noticing me…but no one liked a brainiac. So, I pretended to be dumb and people liked me more. Until I realized that no one really _liked_ me, they liked hating me." She groaned, plopping down next to Dan. "You wouldn't understand."

Danny sighed. "I…I would. Understand, that is. Sometimes…when I'm Danny _Phantom_, I feel like I'm really me. When no one knew who I was, Phantom became an identity where I could let it all go and stop wearing a mask at school. Now that everyone knows, they think they know the real me, but I still only feel like I'm really _Danny_ when I'm _Danny Phantom_. Fenton…he just sort of worked to cover how I really feel and who I really am."

Dan frowned. "You guys sound like you sure enjoyed making your lives complicated."

Paulina chuckled. "Was it easy in Australia?"

Dan shrugged. "Down under, it was always good to wake up the next day. Not saying that your feelings aren't valid, but before you start bogging yourself down with all this masks business, remember that the only one imposing that on you is you. It could be worse; you could've woken up looking at a croc, after all."

"A croc?" Danny scrunched his nose in amusement. "Who was your roommate back in Australia? Crocodile Dundee?"

"Ha ha," Dan deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "Let's stop talking about my frankly awesome former roommate—"

"What, seriously?" Danny muttered to a giggling Paulina.

"—and focus on the fact that your so-called friends won't be put off for long just because you're hiding in the cave of wonders."

"Speaking of wonders, let's discuss your problems over some _horchata _and some _pasteles_." The Latina giggled, "I can see why your friends were so reluctant to give this up, Danny. Plotting against people is so much fun!"

She exited the room and both ghosts waited a few seconds before they felt comfortable enough to talk.

"_Crocodile Dundee_?" Dan deadpanned. "That was the best you could do?"

"Oh, sure, Mr. Cave-of-wonders," Danny retorted. "Wit is obviously your middle name."

Dan sobered. "We really do need to talk, though."

"I…yeah, we do. What _are_ we gonna do? We can't have Sam and the others hanging around the house, or mom will start getting suspicious about us 'not training.' As far as mom knows, we're still doing my usual training with the others. When she finds out we haven't hung out with them in almost a week…"

Dan scowled. "But we can't afford to stop training, either. Even if we stop combat training, we still need to go to the Castle Grim to play with Minnie and Junior."

"Play? _You're_ the ones having fun while I die all over again."

Dan grinned. "Better than the alternative."

"_Anyway_," Danny sighed. "What are we going to do about this?"

"Maybe if we could come up with a plausible excuse as to why we would disappear for hours at a time without arousing undue suspicion. Something teenagers do anyway and—though it would probably get us punished—wouldn't cause your mom to be more attentive to us."

Danny swallowed. There _was_ something that would cover that, but there was no way his mother would buy it.

_If we were sneaking out for…other things…_

"But short of having an illicit, semi-narcissistic affair, I'm coming up short on ideas," Dan shrugged.

Immediately comforted, Danny smiled. "Yeah, I was thinking along those lines myself. I'm glad I'm not the only one. But there's no way mom would allow us to be in the same country after hearing that excuse."

Dan pouted. "Even though I'm totally not trying to corrupt your innocence."

"You absolutely are, but I'll forgive you."

Dan stuck his tongue out at Danny, prompting the younger ghost to laugh. They sank into a comfortable silence, thinking on their conundrum. Danny's eyes were focused on one spot of the room; Dan swore that corner was going to erupt in flames. Dan stared at his counterpart for a while, but eventually looked away when he was ignored; perhaps he'd find the answers somewhere other than Danny's face. False green eyes scanned Paulina's room in a deceptively lazy manner. The Danny Phantom poster on the Latina's ceiling caught Dan's attention, making him roll his eyes.

And then inspiration struck.

"Paulina!" Dan grinned.

Danny glanced towards the doorway, then back at Dan. "What about her. She's not here…"

"No, not that. Remember our illicit and sensual affair?"

"Not as sensual as you're making it sound," Danny replied, thoroughly amused.

"It's not my fault you never put out."

Dan watched with satisfaction as a deep red blush spread across Danny's face. "As I was saying," the older ghost resumed, "_Paulina_ can be your illicit affair."

"Paulina?" Danny muttered. After a moment, blue eyes lit up. "You're right! Paulina and I pretend to be dating secretly—"

"—Because Papi doesn't approve—"

"—And you come along because—"

"—You and I use 'training' as an excuse for you to go see Paulina—"

"—Which is genius, because we'll be using what we're actually doing as our cover story to mom—"

"—And she can't punish you too harshly because it's not your fault her dad doesn't approve—"

"—And if we can manage to get Paulina's dad in on it, mom will hear the same story from Mr. Sanchez—"

"—And we're scot free, cause even if we're missing late at night—"

"—Mom will think it's because I've snuck out to see Paulina! Dan, you're a genius!" Danny laughed, jumping on the bed next to the surprised ghost. "It's so simple, it's ridiculous! Sam and Tucker would've come up with some convoluted plan like using the Tuckerbot!"

Dan snorted, lounging back on the bed. "I _am_ a twenty-eight year old evil genius; I'd like to think I can come up with good ideas every once in while."

Danny sat back, smiling beatifically at Dan. "We can make this work, Dan! I'll be the new Clockwork in no time, thanks to you. And you'll be right there next to—" Danny suddenly flushed, his head turning away violently.

"I'll be next to…?" Dan raised a brow.

"Nothing, forget it." Danny shrugged jerkily.

Dan's brow creased. "No, I don't think I will. Next to what?"

"Stop it, Dan," Danny frowned. "Leave it be."

"Why? What will I be next to?" the older ghost persisted.

"You'll be next to unconscious if you keep bothering me," Danny muttered tetchily.

Dan growled. "Hey! I wasn't the one who said anything; _excuse me_ for being a little curious as to what your plans are for me. I kind of want to know if I'm gonna be erased!"

"Maybe I_ should_ erase you!" Danny spat, crossing his arms.

"What the hell brought that on?!"

"Why have you been so nice?" Danny hissed, whipping his head around, glaring green eyes boring into Dan. "Why haven't you been the colossal asshole I _know_ you want to be? Why do you keep being nice? Why have you been pretending you care about what I say? Why are you trying to keep me from my friends? _Why have you been touching me_?!"

Dan's face was stony as he stared back at Danny; the only indication of his rising ire was the red bleeding into his eyes—and the awful grinding sound of Dan's teeth.

"Because, _you motherfucking brat_, I don't want to be erased."

Danny seemed to deflate a bit. "That's the only reason?"

Dan sobered. "What other reason would I need?"

"Maybe…I thought you were at least warming up to us being friends," Danny whispered. "I forgot you were a sociopath, I guess."

Dan groaned, falling back onto the bed. "What the hell is taking Paulina so long?"

"That's all you have to say?" the halfa demanded.

"You're the one obviously trying to get out of this conversation!"

"Well, I'm not now! Answer me!" Danny practically yelled, getting up on his knees.

"Quiet down, will you?" Dan scowled, raising himself on his elbows to glare at his younger self. "We can't have Paulina's dad hearing our little _domestic_."

"_Paulina, Paulina, Paulina_," Danny mocked in a whiny voice, "That's all you talk about! _She's_ all you talk about!"

Dan rolled his eyes incredulously. "We're in her fucking house!"

"We weren't before!"

Dan scoffed, falling back onto the bed. "How did we even get to talking about this? _What _are we even arguing about!?"

"You never answered me," Danny sighed.

"What am I supposed to be answering?"

"Why are you not acting like yourself?"

Dan sighed, turning to face Amity Park's hero. "Maybe you didn't actually _know_ me. I was trying to kill our family at the time, if you recall. Not exactly the best example of my shining personality."

Danny smirked ruefully. "Yeah, I guess I can't really judge a guy when he's trying to kill me."

Red eyes faded back to green, reconstructing Dan's disguise. He sat up with a sigh, facing a visibly subdued Danny. "What was all that about, Danny? Don't dodge me this time; I think I deserve to know."

"I'm angry," Danny whispered miserably. "I'm so, so angry and I needed to take it out on someone. But, you're not acting like the Dan I remember, so I have no reason to be mad at you. I'm mad at Sam and Dash, because I know they're the ones instigating all this crap between us; I hate that they can't trust me. I hate that I feel like you're a great friend, but I know I shouldn't trust you; and even if I did, you're hiding something from me and I'm dying to know what.

Don't get me wrong," Danny ran a frustrated hand through his hair, leaning against the headboard beside Dan. "I'm excited I get to be the Master of Time, but I thought this would be one transition in my life that would be drama free, for the most part. But now my friends who have supported me since forever aren't talking to me; the people I least expect to understand me actually understand me the most; I'm hanging out with the children of _death and evil_ on a regular basis…"

"And?" Dan prompted quietly.

"And my only confidante is you," the ghost boy eventually sighed. "You're the only one I can really confide in and I want you to be around so I can _keep _confiding in you, but not if…not if you don't feel the same way."

"The same way?" Dan deadpanned. "Is this the world's most fucked up confession or something?"

Danny laughed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "No, idiot. I just—I don't want to force you to stay with me for eternity if that's not what you want, but I _do_. I _do_ want to force you to be my companion, so that I have a reliable friend for the next few millennia. But it makes me feel super guilty. What if you want to have your own life, and I deny you that? Besides, you're a sociopath. You don't actually feel things the way I do, so what if this…this attachment is completely one-sided and you're just using it to your advantage?"

The older ghost worked hard to keep the smirk off his face; he hadn't expected Danny to explode like this for a while, but it certainly made things easier. Now, Danny trusted Dan enough to be honest with Dan, despite the inevitable embarrassment talking about his feelings would bring. Even better?

Danny trusted Dan to _reciprocate_, even if subconsciously.

"You're right," Dan finally said when the younger ghost's agitation was becoming more obvious. "I don't feel emotions the way you feel them. The only time I seem to feel guilt or regret or sadness is when it concerns my family and—honestly—those feelings only seem to be a holdover from your ghost half that's inside me. Without the human half, those emotions will only apply to the people I last associated them with, so I'll never be able to feel emotions the way you're describing them. But—" Danny's head perked up—"that doesn't mean I don't feel. I'm just mean about it; I'm manipulative; I'm cruel and angry and I would rather take what I want when it's denied than go through conventional methods. So, if I'm trying to keep your friends from you? It's my selfish way of ensuring we get closer. I know they'll be back—there's only so long your friends will put up with the smell of their own shit, after all—but right now, you're only focusing on me."

Danny's eyes softened. "That's really terrible."

"You're not complaining much," Dan grinned crookedly.

"I guess not."

Dan sat up. "I can't be that caring friend you really want; I'm not Tucker or Sam, so I won't baby the hell out of you. But I'm stuck by you, whether I want to be or not…and I honestly don't mind, because I'm selfish and narcissistic. This…'attachment' may not be exactly the same on both sides, but I like to think it's equal. You're not boring and aggravating. For all your superheroism, you're kind of an asshole, which is endlessly amusing. Part of you is in me, and—as we've covered—I'll always be attracted to that part, so I'll always be fascinated by you."

"Now who's spouting the world's most fucked up confession?" Danny grinned.

"Fuck you," Dan retorted. "And all you've done is prove how tedious emotions are."

"Oh, shut up!" Danny cried, launching himself at Dan. Midway through his assault, the pillow under his knee caused Danny to slip; instead of tackling Dan to the ground like he'd intended, Danny ended up in Dan's lap. Immediately, Dan's arms wound around Danny's waist—the faster it was, the more it would seem like instinct to the ghost boy. Danny, meanwhile, was torn between the feeling of being in Dan's arms and the volley of thoughts ricocheting in his head. A deep blush covered his face—_again,_ Danny cursed to himself—and Danny debated how he could make this seem less awkward. After a beat of silence, Danny chanced a glance at Dan's face; Dan didn't seem perturbed in the slightest. In fact, he seemed smug, the old bastard. Danny sat up in a huff, pouting at Dan. When Dan only smirked, Danny punched the taller ghost on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he complained. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Stalin—what the hell was that for?"

"N-nothing," the halfa muttered, "What were you talking about earlier?" Danny asked petulantly.

"Earlier?" Dan figured he could ignore the abrupt change; after all they'd talked about, a subject change was welcome.

"When you said the games we play with Junior and Minnie are better than the alternative. What's the alternative?"

"I come at you with everything I've got."

Danny tensed. "Right…"

Which was definitely not something Danny wanted, despite the fact that he'd been curious as to how he held up against Dan, now that three years had passed. Noticing the odd silence, Dan glanced at Danny, intent on asking what the problem was, but Paulina returned with a tray in her hands.

"You boys better appreciate this! I can't remember the last time I brought up a tray to my own room!" She stopped short at the image on her bed.

Danny had apparently crawled into Ezra's lap, his arms wrapped around the larger boy's shoulders and his thighs on either side of Ezra's waist. A blush so deep a red it was practically purple covered Danny's horrified face as the ghostly hero stared back at Paulina dumbly. Ezra, whose own arms were loose around Danny's waist, was sitting up on the bed with his legs crossed, face unrepentant as he stared at Paulina. He didn't seem to mind Danny being on his lap, nor did he seem to mind his shocked audience.

"Well," Paulina finally said, "At least catching you boys like this makes up for the manual labor. What was that about not dating?" Danny finally seemed to come out of his catatonic state, but not before Paulina whipped out her phone and snapped a quick picture.

"Delete that!" he cried, shrilly.

"In your dreams, Ghost Boy!" she laughed, running away from Danny as he chased her around the room.

Neither of them noticed Dan's calculating gaze on Danny's back.

* * *

><p>Sam sighed, picking at her vegan, gluten-free pizza listlessly. Beside her, Tucker tore into his meat-laden slice and Dash and Kwan distractedly munched on their own food. The news playing on the TV was still fawning over Danny Phantom's latest ghost fight—but Sam had a feeling that it wasn't Danny fighting Technus. The moves and taunts he used were clever, but not Danny's style. Knowing that Dan could take on Danny's form, Sam figured Dan had taken the mantle for a short while to show Danny how it was done, and she couldn't disagree with the results. Dan was a much more efficient fighter and he only spared time for the occasional insult or to glance smugly up at the sky. Dan was probably silently gloating at Danny that day.<p>

Sam wondered how Danny had reacted after that fight. Despite whatever tension had been there the first day Dan had returned, Sam noticed that it had become virtually nonexistent in the last few days—especially after the weekend. Sam wondered if she was the only one who saw it, but she was worried about Dan's intentions. She wasn't blind (well, no one was) to Dan's long, lingering looks at Danny or to the secret meaning behind Dan's smiles. There was something…_wrong_ about the way Dan stared. It was possessive and lustful and Sam didn't think that Danny could see it. Danny was so intent on fixing Dan—the way he failed to fix Vlad—that he couldn't see that Dan didn't want a father/son relationship like Vlad wanted.

Dan was a sociopath—Sam knew what that meant. That meant Dan didn't care about other people's emotions, so long as he got what he wanted. Dan would lie, manipulate, steal, cheat, and even use force to get what he wanted.

And it seemed to Sam lately that Dan _wanted_ Danny.

But Dan was obviously too smart to try to force himself on Danny; not only was Danny a strong ghost in his own right, Danny was fated to be the next Master of Time _and_ he had the backing of the current Master, Clockwork. Danny had an entire network of former enemy ghosts who would quickly stand up to Dan to save Danny, not to mention the many human allies Danny had accrued. Obviously, Dan knew force would be pointless and he would end up erased. So, Dan had to use other methods.

Like shutting Danny's friends out.

Sam hated every second that they weren't talking to Danny, because it meant Danny was crawling deeper into the spider's web. But she couldn't forgive Danny's abrupt dismissal of them so easily—especially now that Danny had apparently decided that stuck-up, deep-as-the-world's-shallowest-puddle Paulina was better company.

But she knew that she would have to overcome her pride and talk to him, because Danny was still her friend and she still cared and there was _no way_ she was going to let that _perverted monster_ get his claws into Danny.

Sam bit her lip; she had hoped she and Danny would last forever. They seemed to be soul mates and once they began dating, Sam had no shame in admitting that she honestly started planning their wedding. But Danny had gotten restless and angry; he annoyed the hell out of her by spending all of his free time moping around her, then he would ignore her for weeks. Sam refused to take that and when sex couldn't solve their problems, they broke up. It destroyed Sam—to the point that she did something so stupid as trying to date someone else immediately after to sooth the pain. If the goth girl was being honest, part of it was also probably to pour some salt on Danny's wound, to make him see what he'd lost.

But then he got _Dan_, and Sam knew the time for games was over. The second the portal opened behind her, when she heard the rhythmic tick of clocks, Sam automatically knew whom Danny had gone to see. Sam knew Clockwork never called Danny for no reason, so she decided to break it off with…whatever his name was and be Danny's friend again because Sam knew Danny would need her.

"Sam?" Tucker asked gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"I just…I really don't trust Dan. I don't think anyone should go through being erased, but Dan is bad news, I just _feel _it."

Tucker sighed. "Sam…I know it doesn't seem like a smart idea to be friendly with the guy, but he _is_ helping Danny. And I'm tired of ignoring him for the sake of pride. He's our best friend; haven't we made enough mistakes in the past, when we've taken his friendship for granted?"

Dash scowled. "He's taking _us_ for granted! He should listen to us when we say Dan is only gonna use him! _We're_ his friends, not that psycho-murderer!"

"But Dan does seem to be helpful…" Kwan offered weakly.

"I say we keep ignoring Danny until he sees sense and leaves that freak!" Dash replied, banging his hand on the table.

Sam frowned. "We've been ignoring him for a few days. It obviously isn't working."

"What about going to his parents?" Dash demanded quickly.

"They probably know all about Dan," Tucker said. "Danny doesn't like to keep secrets if he doesn't have to."

"But…" Sam muttered, "They probably don't know about Dan's weird behavior."

Tucker groaned. "This again? Dan's a sociopath; he doesn't know how to interact with people the normal way. He's _trying_, at least."

Kwan sighed, "Why don't we compromise?"

"How?" Dash snorted angrily.

"We can't get Dan away from Danny right now, right? So we stick around Danny and pretend we're okay with it and keep an eye out for him. Keep your enemies closer, right?" Kwan shrugged.

Sam smiled. "That's actually a really good idea, Kwan. It's obvious that keeping away from Danny is detrimental, so if we're near him, we can keep Dan from influencing all of Danny's decisions!"

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Whatever you guys say. I know I didn't think it was a hot idea at first, but now that he hasn't killed us all week, I'm willing to give the guy a chance."

"I really don't understand the change of heart, Foley," Dash sneered.

"I honestly haven't seen Danny so relaxed, is what it is," Tucker explained. "When was the last time you saw him so happy? He's been restless and angry lately and going to find random fights in the ghost zone was not helping. Whatever Dan is doing is helping Danny a lot, obviously, and I'm not going to take away something that makes Danny happy."

_Not when I owe so much to Danny_, Tucker mused to himself.

"For now!" Sam argued, "Wait until Dan does…_whatever_ it is he's _actually_ planning! What will happen to Danny then?"

"What will _happen_," Tucker said condescendingly, "is that Danny or Clockwork will erase Dan before he steps out of bounds. Maybe he can find a way around the collar, but Clockwork is omniscient."

"If you like the guy so much, why don't you marry him?" Dash muttered childishly.

"You know what?" Tucker stood, clearly exasperated, "When you guys feel like growing up and realizing that we're being shit friends to Danny, you give me a call. I ignored my best friend for a whole business week, trying to get all of you to see reason. It's not working, so I give up! _I'm_ gonna go find my _best friend _tomorrow and apologize. _You_ can do whatever _you_ want!"

With a disgusted huff, Tucker shook his head and walked out of the pizza parlor, ignoring the eyes burning into his back. Sam turned back to Dash, a concerned frown marring her features. Dash glared mulishly at the table, arms crossed. Kwan bit his lip, looking between all of them, before he sighed and stood.

"I'm gonna go, too," he mumbled.

"Et tu, Kwan?" Dash glared.

"Even if I don't agree with Tucker about Dan, I don't think it's a good idea to leave Danny alone with him. If that means pretending to be friendly to a murderer, I think Danny deserves that dedication, with all that he's had to sacrifice for us. Not to mention, we were pretty terrible to him back in freshman year; I guess I can think of this as trying to make it up to him."

The Korean boy nodded at them and walked out, not once glancing back.

Sam and Dash sighed, now that they were alone.

"I think Kwan is right…his plan is much better and it doesn't alienate Danny. It also gives Dan a chance to redeem himself. I know what my instincts are saying, but Tucker's right; Dan isn't built like the rest of us and his means of showing affection are likely warped and unnatural to us."

Dash groaned. "I really don't trust that guy. I just _know_ he's got something terrible planned."

Sam placed a comforting hand on Dash's. "Yeah, I agree. But _Danny's _safety is most important, and that means we gotta make a few sacrifices of our own."

Dash nodded. "Yeah, you're right. C'mon. We better let Tucker and Kwan know we're in on their plan."

The goth girl smiled encouragingly at Dash and, together, they walked out of the parlor. Invisible red eyes narrowed at their backs as they left, and the clone resolved to return to his original, now that his mission was done.

* * *

><p>"So, will you help us, Papi?" Paulina smiled her sweetest smile to her, admittedly, confused-looking father.<p>

"…Que?"

Dan and Danny glanced at each other; Dan was slightly amused and Danny was steadily growing more nervous. Paulina, for her part, was looking frustrated.

"_Ay, papi! Ya te lo expliqué!_"

"If I may," Dan interjected smoothly. "I understand it's hard to grasp, Mr. Sanchez. Not to mention, we're asking a huge favor of you and your reputation. You see…Danny and I are in love."

Without flinching, Dan pulled Danny to him roughly, ignoring the slowly growing look of horror on the hafla's face.

"But Danny's parents would never accept that—and could you imagine the press if they were to catch wind of Danny's sexual orientation? It would be awful for Danny."

Mr. Sanchez nodded sagely. "Yes, I see your point."

"So, Danny's parents will eventually find out about Danny and I sneaking out to be together. We will tell them that Danny has been sneaking out to see Paulina—because you do not approve—and that we've been lying to you and telling you that we're training and Paulina is helping us. We will tell Danny's parents that I am there to help with the ruse. If they come asking you about more information, we ask that you tell them that Paulina is helping Danny train, but that is all, because you would never allow Paulina to date Danny because of his dangerous lifestyle."

The Latino father nodded again. "I am beginning to understand. You and Daniel will be seeing each other, and my daughter will provide Danny's….how you say…beard."

"Yes, exactly," Dan smiled.

"Daniel, if this is true, why did you pursue my daughter for so many years?" the burly man raised a brow.

Danny gulped. "I-I thought it would be what my parents wanted. I wanted to make them proud of me, but in the end, I could only ever see Paulina as a friend. When Ezra came, I couldn't deny who I really was anymore."

Each line was mechanic and obviously false, to Dan's annoyance, but Paulina's father was eating it up. Manly tears shone in the proud father's eyes; without warning, Danny was ripped from Dan and suffocated in Mr. Sanchez's embrace.

"You will be like a son to me, Daniel Fenton!" he declared. "I will help you, because I truly believe in love! If you were able to soften my Pau into becoming the beautiful, considerate woman she is today with your friendship, then I have no shame in calling you my son and ensuring your happiness with your boyfriend!"

As Dan tried willfully not to laugh aloud, Danny wondered who he had pissed off lately to be in this predicament.

More than that, Danny wondered why the thought of calling Dan his "boyfriend" wasn't as repulsive as he thought it would be. Later, when the three teens were upstairs planning how to "get caught" sneaking out at the Fenton home, Danny remained pensive. He'd never been one to lie to himself for long, after all. Were these feelings a machination of Dan's—a part of Dan ensuring his own survival and a side effect of Dan's sociopathic means?

Or was Danny really feeling certain…_emotions_…for his other self?

As the night wore on and Dan and Paulina slipped into easy banter, neither of them noticed Danny's calculating gaze on Dan's back.

_And so time marches on_…

* * *

><p>Awesome. I literally wrote this chapter in a few weeks, which is the fastest I've been able to do that since <em>Bromance<em>. _And_ it was of satisfying length. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


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